Fatah movement re-elects Abbas, opens leadership conference

Some 1,400 Fatah members gather in Ramallah for a conference, where delegates are to hold elections for the party’s two main decision-making bodies; in a first step, delegates unanimously re-elected Abbas as Party Leader Mahmoud Abbas for a new five-year term; the conference, which is expected to be attended by hundreds of the movement’s members, is likely to result in further consolidation of the longtime leader Mahmoud Abbas, while thwarting the return of his rival and critic Mohammed Dahlan.
Associated Press|Last update:  29.11.16 , 21:16

Some 1,400 members of Fatah were gathering in Ramallah for the five-day conference, where delegates are to hold elections for the party’s two main decision-making bodies. In a first step, the delegates unanimously re-elected Abbas as the party leader for a new five-year term. Party official Salim Zanoun asked the hall to vote for Abbas, and participants all stood up and warmly cheered. A smiling Abbas then hugged Zanoun.

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While the elections are expected to bring some new faces into the leadership structure, the conference’s main purpose appears to be aimed at blocking the return of Abbas’ exiled rival, Mohammed Dahlan.

 

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