Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Photo: Reuters
Fatah severely split ahead of elections
Leading party in West Bank prepares two rosters in Nablus due to rift among its members
Ahead of elections in the Palestinian Authority, Fatah appears
split in two as its central committee mulled presenting the public with two different sets of rosters Sunday.
Less than a year after calling for younger blood in the movement, today's Fatah seems more concerned with keeping the party from shattering into various movements.
On Saturday its central committee attempted to contain the anarchy that many believe will erupt in Nablus.
Following the dismantlement of Nablus's city council, which was previously presided over by Hamas, Fatah plans to present the leader of its Revolutionary Council, Amin Makboul, as a candidate.
But his adversary is also a member of Fatah, Ghassan Shakaa, who served as Nablus mayor two terms ago, before Hamas took control.
In addition to the inter-party split, some Fatah members are now claiming that the movement's central committee was formed illegally and its decisions void, because a number of its members were elected fraudulently.
The members making this claim say that aside from the election of President Mahmoud Abbas to the movement's chair, all other decisions made by the council are tainted with serious corruption that could end up leaving the movement vulnerable to hostile influences.
