Abbas casts his vote in Fatah movement elections and declares 2026 the year of democracy

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas participated this Saturday morning in the voting process to elect members of the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah). The electoral process took place in Ahmed Al-Shuqairi Hall at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, where intense organizational atmospheres prevailed, accompanying the arrival of members of the Eighth Conference to choose their new leadership. Abbas inspected the progress of work in the polling stations, listening to clarifications from the supervisory committee regarding the technical procedures followed to ensure the integrity and transparency of the voting.

President Abbas, in press statements after casting his vote, emphasized the strategic importance of this organizational entitlement, considering it a necessary step to strengthen the unity of the movement and renew the blood of its leadership institutions. He pointed out that the success of these elections reflects Fatah's determination to face the upcoming political and national challenges with unified ranks and an elected leadership. He also stressed that the movement prioritizes internal democracy to ensure the continuity of its pioneering role in the Palestinian scene.

Abbas described the current year as 'the year of democracy' par excellence, reviewing a series of steps recently taken by Palestinian institutions to promote this approach. He mentioned that the path began with the holding of the Fatah Youth Conference, then moved to the local elections in April last year, leading to the current convening of the movement's Eighth Conference. He considered that these successive milestones establish a new phase of political work based on partnership and election.

In a related context, the Palestinian President revealed the features of the political roadmap for the next phase, announcing the start of actual preparations for holding the Palestinian National Council elections next November. He explained that this step comes within a comprehensive vision to reactivate the institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization and develop their performance in line with current changes. These moves aim to arrange the internal Palestinian house as a prelude to broader national entitlements that include all segments of the people.

Abbas concluded his speech by emphasizing that the Palestinian leadership is working to prepare the legal and political ground for holding general and presidential elections in all Palestinian territories. These preparations include drafting a new constitution for the state, preparing a modern law for political parties, in addition to updating the general election law to ensure the inclusiveness of the democratic process. He stressed that the ultimate goal is to enable the Palestinian citizen to exercise their constitutional right to choose their representatives in all legislative and executive bodies.

This year is the year of democracy, and we are moving towards creating the atmosphere for general and presidential elections by updating laws and drafting the constitution.