New Fatah leadership boosts peace process

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The parliamentary vote count for the secular Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has begun. Final results could take two days and a recount is also possible.

The young generation of Fatah reformers will be the group's future decision makers. The old guard, who had fought with late President Yasser Arafat, will vacate their places for the yougher generation. The new line-up may be better placed to seek reconciliation with fierce rival Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. This would restore unity to the divided Palestinian cause of establishing an independent state.

The new leadership, mostly grass-roots local activists, will also improve the image of Fatah, which has been charged with corruption, nepotism, and inefficiency. US president Barack Obama's administration is said to be within weeks of presenting a new Mideast peace plan. Reinvigorated Palestinian leadership would provide a significant boost to that effort.

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