Fatah names Abbas as party leader at historic conference

Last Updated: Sunday, August 09, 2009, 00:28

Tags: Palestine, Fatah party, leadership election

Fatah names Abbas as party leader at historic conference

Jerusalem: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was on Saturday chosen to lead the Fatah movement at the party's first convention in two decades, giving a major boost to the leader who is facing a tough challenge from the Islamist Hamas.

The Fatah delegates chose him as their leader by consensus at a party conference held in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.

The conference, billed as a unifying exercise for faction-ridden Fatah, has seen a lot of acrimony among new and old guards and also among factions divided on territorial lines, but Abbas emerged as the uncontested leader.

Hundreds of delegates cheered as Fatah leader Tayib Abdul Rahim declared that Abbas was chosen to lead the party.

The party constitution gives him a five-year term at the helm of party affairs, but it is the first such exercise in 20 years.

Former PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei told reporters that delegates meeting in Bethlehem would elect a new Central Committee and a Revolutionary Council on Sunday or Monday.

Qureia said the convention would hold the elections for both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank at the same time, adding that "some Gaza members will contest the elections."

Some 200 Fatah delegates managed to sneak in for the conference despite attempts by Islamist Hamas to prevent them from attending the event.

Bureau Report

First Published: Sunday, August 09, 2009, 00:28