The Palestinian National Council (PNC), or Palestinian parliment, is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting in the next few weeks to elect new members of the PLO's Executive Committee, an executive committee member told Ma'an.
Ahmad Majdalani told Ma’an overnight Saturday that different PLO institutions would witness major upcoming changes.
Majdalani is among the 11 members who have announced their resignation.
Majdalani said that the Executive Committee held an emergency meeting Saturday night and recommended an emergency meeting for the PNC to elect new members for the Executive Committee after 11 members including president Mahmoud Abbas resigned from their post.
The recommendation is in line with article C of chapter 14 of the basic law of the Palestinian National Council, Majdalani said.
Abbas, who is president of the Palestinian Authority, also serves as the president of Executive Committee, the position in which he has announced his resignation for. The president of the Executive Committee is by law, the president of the PLO.
The nine other members who announced their resignation are Farouq Qaddumi, Hanan Ashrawi, Asaad Abd al-Rahman, GHassan Shak’a, Mahmoud Ismail, Muhammad Zuhdi Nashashibi, Riyad al-Khudari, Hanna Amira, and Saeb Erekat.
Last month Saeb Erekat took office as secretary-general of the PLO, prompting speculation that he is being lined up to succeed Mahmoud Abbas as president of the PA.
Majdalani said the resignations will become effective once the PNC holds an emergency meeting, as the resignations will be submitted to the PNC president Salim Za’noon. An emergency PNC session is held only during in case of extreme necessity, or if one third or more of Executive Committee members leave their posts.
Quorum isn’t necessary for such exceptional session, Majdalani pointed out.
The emergency session will address only one issue which is electing either new members to replace those who will step down, or to elect new members to replace the entire Executive Committee.
Majdalani highlighted that “since 11 members wanted to resign, it is more likely that all members will be replaced.”
The emergency session of the PNC, Majdalani said, will be held within 30 days in coordination with the PNC president. He highlighted that the Executive Committee of the PLO consists of 18 members representing all PLO factions, and that during this election of members, “independent figures will be elected” as well.
The Executive Committee member added that a majority of PLO factions agreed on having elections, except a few who gave different recommendations to be studied.
The 740-member PNC is responsible for deciding on PLO policies and electing the Executive Committee, the PLO's primary executive body.
The last PNC meeting was an emergency meeting held in 2009 to replace six vacant positions, while the last Executive Committee elections were held in 1996 during a PNC session in Gaza.
Arabic media has speculated that the upcoming meeting could pave the way for Abbas' resignation from his post as president of the PA.
Last month, PLO officials dismissed rumors of the president's resignation from office, although sources close to Abbas did not deny the possibility, saying that "important, and maybe dangerous, decisions" are likely to be made in September, coinciding with the UN General Assembly's 70th session.
The Fatah-dominated PLO Executive Committee has been criticized over the past months by several Palestinian factions -- including Hamas -- for unilaterally attempting to reshuffle the unity government initially formed in June 2014.
