Fears in "Fatah" of bypassing the base in selecting its candidates

A private source in the Fatah movement revealed concerns among applicants for candidacy that the application reception phase is merely a preliminary procedure, and that the leadership may later determine the official list without regard to the results of the organizational bases, amid the recurrence of these concerns from previous stages.

A private source in the Fatah movement revealed concerns among a number of applicants for candidacy within the movement that the application reception phase is merely a preliminary procedure that does not lead to commitment to what the organizational bases produce. The source, who spoke to Quds Press and requested anonymity, explained that the concerns lie in the possibility of determining the official candidacy list according to the leadership's choices later without considering the results or nominations issued by the movement's bases. He pointed out that these concerns recurred in previous stages, including the first legislative elections in 2006, local body elections, and the seventh and eighth general conferences. The source stressed that the problem extends beyond who will occupy the top positions to the absence of a declared mechanism that ensures a real impact for the voice of the organizational base. The article indicated that Fatah held internal primaries before the 2006 elections, but the Central Committee canceled or amended their results in many districts after they produced young leaders from the "New Guard" at the expense of traditional figures.