Abbas re-elected Fatah leader amid calls for institutional reform

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been unanimously re-elected as leader of the Fatah movement following the conclusion of the party’s Eighth General Conference in Ramallah. The outcome, confirmed late on Thursday by the Palestinian news agency Wafa, secures Abbas’s position as head of the central committee, the movement’s highest leadership body, for the first time in a decade.

During his address at the conference, Abbas renewed his commitment to implementing reform measures within the Palestinian Authority. He also pledged to hold long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections, although no specific timeline was provided for these polls. The gathering, attended by approximately 2,580 members across Ramallah, Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut, is tasked with electing 18 representatives to the central committee and 80 to the revolutionary council.

The re-election occurs against a backdrop of intensifying pressure from the United States, the European Union, and Arab states. These international actors are urging the Palestinian Authority to enact structural reforms and restore its political legitimacy following widespread accusations of corruption and stagnation. The PA has been identified by some foreign governments as a potential partner for post-war reconstruction in Gaza, a role that Israel strongly opposes.

Jibril Rajoub, the secretary-general of the central committee, framed the conference as a critical step toward “putting the Palestinian house in order.” Speaking to the AFP news agency, Rajoub emphasised the need to protect the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and to establish a viable partner for statehood. He acknowledged that the national movement faces some of its most serious challenges following the conflict in Gaza.

Internal divisions remain evident despite the unified vote. Nasser al-Qudwa, a nephew of the late Yasser Arafat, boycotted the conference, describing it as illegitimate. Meanwhile, the president’s eldest son, Yasser Abbas, has been placed on the ballot for the central committee. Yasser Abbas, who serves as his father’s special representative, has gained prominence despite primarily residing in Canada. Key figures such as Rajoub and PA Deputy Hussein al-Sheikh are viewed as potential successors in the post-Abbas era.