Bethlehem, 11 Aug-(ANA)-The Fatah faction of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has voted to overhaul its top executives in its first election in two decades, partial results show.
At a congress in Bethlehem in the West Bank, 15 new officials were voted into 18 contested central committee seats.
Among them was Marwan Barghouti, a popular figure held in an Israeli jail, and Mohammed Dahlan, a divisive figure strongly disliked by Hamas supporters.
The party has been seeking to restore its image as corrupt and divided.
In 2006 it lost elections to rival faction Hamas, which now controls Gaza.
Injecting new blood into the decision-making body has been seen as a key part of the reform process.
Younger members of the organisation have long complained it was dominated by an "old guard" of ageing politicians who were contemporaries of its founder, Yasser Arafat, who died in 2004.
Less than half of the 10 members of the so-called "old guard", who were seeking re-election, managed to hold onto their seats on the central committee, Reuters news agency reported. (ANA)
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