Munir Salama: Completing Arrangements for the 8th Fatah Conference Under Exceptional Circumstances

SadaNews - The Executive Director of the 8th Conference of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement "Fatah", Munir Salama, stated that the movement is on the brink of holding its eighth conference on Thursday, May 14, under what he described as "exceptional" political and organizational circumstances, confirming that logistical and organizational readiness has reached about 99%.

Salama explained in an interview with "Wafa" agency that holding the conference at this timing carries significant political and organizational implications, especially since the conference has been delayed by about five years. He pointed out that since its inception, Fatah has been keen on holding its periodic conferences as a framework for renewing legitimacy and strengthening democratic life within the movement.

He added that the eighth conference represents a new challenge for the movement, not only from an organizational perspective but also due to the nature of the political phase the Palestinian cause and the entire region are experiencing. He said, "The political situation in the region is explosive and unsettled, and there is no clear political horizon for solving the Palestinian national cause, but Fatah still sees that the future belongs to the Palestinian people and that the will for freedom exists within the movement and its leadership."

Salama confirmed that the main message the movement wants to convey through the conference focuses on "democracy, rotation, and renewal of legitimacy," noting that this conference is the third that the movement holds within the country after the sixth conference in 2009 and the seventh in 2016, both held in Ramallah.

2580 Members Participating in the Conference Between Ramallah, Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut

He stated that the eighth conference will be held simultaneously in four locations: Ramallah, Gaza Strip, Cairo, and Beirut, in a challenging experience that he described as "the greatest challenge" facing the preparatory committee, given the need for simultaneous coordination at various levels, whether in managing sessions, interventions, setting up committees, or conducting nominations, voting, counting, and announcing results.

He noted that the number of participants in the conference is about 2580 members, approximately 1600 of whom are in Ramallah, 400 in Gaza, 400 in Cairo, and 200 in Beirut.

He explained that invitations were sent out to all conference members, and membership forms have been completed at a rate exceeding 85%. He added that the preparatory committee has also begun distributing identification cards to administrative and technical staff, who number more than 650 individuals.

Specialized Committees to Discuss Political and Organizational Files

Regarding the political and organizational files that will be discussed at the conference, Salama said the conference will form specialized committees that will prepare political and organizational papers and raise recommendations. He explained that among these committees are: the Internal Regulations Committee, the Political Committee, the Jerusalem Committee, the Gaza Committee, the Women’s Committee, and the Youth Committee, with the final outputs of the conference to be formulated in the closing statement, recommendations, and decisions that will be issued.

He confirmed that Jerusalem will be present at the conference through the regional committee, Jerusalem competencies, ministers, members of the Revolutionary Council, and the Central Committee, in addition to the Jerusalem Committee, which will discuss various issues concerning the city and the concerns of its residents.

Manual Voting and Counting in All Locations

Regarding the election mechanism, Salama stated that the preparatory committee discussed three options since the outset of preparations, including full electronic voting and counting, paper voting with electronic counting, or paper voting and counting. He added that the final decision was to adopt the manual and paper mechanism entirely.

He explained that around 250 experienced teachers from recent municipal elections will supervise the electoral process, along with an election committee elected from the conference and an impartial oversight committee that will follow up on all stages of voting and counting.

He noted that the internal regulations also govern the mechanisms for appeals and objections, explaining that approximately 28 models and a work plan related to various stages of the electoral process have been prepared, starting from nominations to the announcement of final results, while a committee for appeals elected from the conference will study the objections and take appropriate decisions regarding them.

Conditions for Nomination and Representation of Women and Youth

Salama indicated that the number of members of the Revolutionary Council as specified by the internal regulations is 80, while the Central Committee consists of 18 members, pointing out that the conference has the authority to amend these numbers either by increasing or decreasing if a decision is made to do so.

Regarding the conditions for nomination, he explained that the internal regulations require that to be nominated for the Central Committee, a member must have spent 20 years in the movement and advanced through various organizational positions, while for nomination to the Revolutionary Council, a member must have spent 15 years in the movement, in addition to being at least 18 years old when joining the movement, which sets the approximate minimum age for nomination between 32 and 33 years.

He added that the conference may discuss the possibility of lowering the age for nomination to provide a larger space for youth to reach leadership positions within the movement.

On the issue of women’s participation, Salama noted that Fatah has committed to the decision of the Palestinian Central Council to raise the percentage of women's representation in leadership frameworks to 20%, explaining that 150 women have been added to the membership of the conference, in addition to the already existing female members in various leadership positions, achieving a participation rate of approximately 20% of the total members of the conference.

He noted that the adoption of the representation percentage of women in elected leadership bodies will remain subject to the decision of the conference itself, either by approval as mandatory or by keeping it within the framework of consensus and selection.

Conference Program Over Three Days

Regarding the conference program, Salama explained that its proceedings will continue for three days from Thursday to Saturday. He said that the first day will begin with an inaugural session that includes a speech by President Mahmoud Abbas, speeches from Palestinian national factions, and representatives of Palestinians in the territory occupied in 1948, before moving on to internal sessions to ensure a quorum and elect the conference presidency.

He added that the conference presidency will include a chairman, two deputies, and a secretary in Ramallah, in addition to deputies and secretaries in Gaza, Beirut, and Cairo, while the evening session will witness the election of the election committee and formation of the various conference committees that will begin their meetings immediately.

He explained that the second day will be dedicated to discussing reports from various commissions and committees, in parallel with opening the door for nominations for elections to the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, followed by the announcement of preliminary and final lists of candidates.

As for the third day, it will witness the start of the voting process from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, followed immediately by the counting process and announcement of results and the closing statement of the conference.