16th Congress of the Polisario Front

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16th Congress of the Polisario Front
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Secretary-General election
20 January 2023
Registered2,097 Congressmembers
Turnout89.18%
 
Candidate Brahim Ghali Bachir Mustafa Sayed
Electoral vote 1,253 563
Percentage 69.00% 31.00%
Diagram showing how Congressmembers voted for the Secretary-General.
Secretary-General before election

Brahim Ghali
Polisario Front

Secretary-General-elect

Brahim Ghali
Polisario Front

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The 16th Congress of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia El Hamra and Río de Oro (

Arabic: المؤتمر السادس عشر للجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الساقية الحمراء ووادي الذهب, Spanish: XVI Congreso del Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguia El Hamra y Río de Oro) was held in the Dajla refugee camp in Tindouf, Algeria between 13 and 22 January 2023 to renovate the governing bodies of the Polisario Front
and establish the movement's main lines of action and strategy for the next leadership term.

The Congress was also used to elect a new Secretary-General for the Polisario Front, which would automatically become the President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. For the first time ever, the candidate for Secretary-General was not agreed upon before the Congress. Bachir Mustafa Sayed, brother of the late first president El Uali Mustafa Sayed, ran for the office against the incumbent Brahim Ghali, making this the first truly competitive race for the office and breaking the tradition of establishing a consensus for the office.[1][2]

The Congress' slogan is "Escalating the fighting to expel the occupation and complete sovereignty" (

MINURSO.[3]

The Congress is the first one to be held in a wartime situation since 1991, due to the breakout of the

Second Western Sahara War in 2020. This situation led to the Congress having little international promotion since the Polisario Front sought instead to unite Sahrawis around a war strategy to intensify the war with this Congress.[2]

The Congress finished with the re-election of Brahim Ghali in the first round, barely avoiding a second round (as the president needs the support of two-thirds of the Congress in the first round to be elected). He obtained 69% of the votes, the lowest score ever obtained by the winning candidate since the introduction of direct vote for the office.[4]

Background

Logo adopted by the Preparatory Commission for the 16th Congress

The Preparatory Commission announced on 27 October 2022 that the 16th Congress would take place between 13 and 17 January 2023 in the wilaya of Dajla, in the Sahrawi refugee camps of Tindouf. It also adopted symbols for the Congress.

war situation, which began when the ceasefire with Morocco broke down in November 2020 after Morocco sent troops to the southern part of Western Sahara to disperse Sahrawi protesters who were blocking the only highway to Mauritania, the Congress was not held in the Liberated Territories.[5][6]

A "National Preparatory Conference" was held days before the Congress, between 8 and 11 January, to solve disputes and seek a unified position inside the Front, especially towards the candidacy of the General-Secretary.[7][8]

The Congress was extended twice due to the lengthiness of the debates: it first got a 48-hour extension up to 19 January 2023 and later got a 72-hour one up to 22 January 2023.[9][10]

During the Congress, members voted to amend the Basic Law of the Polisario Front to change the rules concerning the National Secretariat, forcing a renewal of at least six new members in every term, apart from reducing the members from 50 to 44 by removing two of the 29 Congress-elected members and excluding the mass organisations' (National Union of Sahrawi Women, Sahrawi Trade Union, Sahrawi Youth Union and Union of Sahrawi Students) from having a direct representation in the National Secretariat.[11]

International presence

Several foreign political parties participated or sent messages in support of the 16th Congress, major parties are listed below.

Parties that participated in the Congress

Parties that supported the Congress

Election system

The Congress elects the National Secretariat, which is the most important decision-making organism inside the Polisario Front when Congresses are not held, and the General-Secretary of the Front, which automatically becomes President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

To be elected Secretary-General of the Polisario Front the following requirements have to be met:[24]

  • Being a Sahrawi national.
  • Having a militant experience of at least twenty years and have held positions in the national leadership for at least ten years.
  • Having military experience during the war.
  • Being at least 40 years old.
  • Having a clean criminal record.

The candidates are proposed by the Election Commission, and voted on by the Congress. The vote is done by ballot direclty and secretly, with a

absolute majority for the second round.[24]

Members of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front after the 16th Congress shown per method of election.
  Congress-elected members: 27 seats
  Secret members of the Occupied Territories: 16 seats
  General-Secretary of the POLISARIO Front: 1 seat

After the reforms passed by the 16th Congress to the Fundamental Law of the Polisario Front,

Occupied Territories to become anonymous members, and the General-Secretary serving as an ex officio member. To become a member of the National Secretariat the following requirements have to be met:[24]

  • Being a Sahrawi national.
  • Having a clean criminal record.
  • Being at least 30 years old.
  • Having a university or academic graduation certificate with five years of continuous service or field experience of not less than ten years in one or more of the following positions:
    • Regional personnel in the military or higher.
    • Member of a regional branch or higher. Central Director at Ministry level or higher.
    • Ambassador or representative at the state level.
    • Member of the National Constitutional Council, the Superior Council of the Magistracy and the Consultative Council.
    • Member of the executive office of a mass organization.

The vote is direct and secret, with multiple non-transferable vote being used in the first round and ranked voting in the second one. The winning candidates are those who have obtained the absolute majority of the votes in the first round. In case of impossibility of obtaining the required number of candidates, the electoral commission continues to seek the vote of the congressmen on the basis of a list three times greater than the number of remaining candidates until obtaining the number of required candidates, elected by simple majority. There's a gender quota requiring at least six of the Congress-elected members to be women, while a new quota of six new members was introduced in this Congress before the election of the National Secretariat.[24]

Candidates

Confirmed

Rumoured

Opinion polling

The Sahrawi website ECSaharaui did several informal voting estimations among the Congressmembers, dividing voters into three segments:

Voter demographics in the 16th Congress of the Polisario Front[27]
Segment % Ghali % Sayed % Undecided % Lead
Army 75 20 5 55
Popular bases 80 20 N/A 60
Youth and public administration N/A N/A N/A Lean Mustafa Sayed
Final estimate 66 N/A N/A N/A
Final result 69 31 N/A 38

Results

Secretary-General

Polls opened on 20 January 2023 at 10 AM GMT+1 and closed at 1PM GMT+1. 24 offices were allocated for voting by the Election Committee. There were two candidates, Brahim Ghali and Bachir Mustafa Sayed, for the post of Secretary-General of the Polisario Front.[28]

Ghali was re-elected as Secretary-General of the Polisario Front and President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic for a three-year term. 1,870 Congressmembers out of 2,097 registered cast a vote; 1,816 votes were valid while 54 votes were considered invalid. Ghali received 1,253 votes (69%) while Mustafa Sayed obtained 563 votes (31%). The Electoral Commission did not record any violations or obstacles during the election.[29]

CandidateVotes%+/–
Sahrawi Press Service[29][30]

National Secretariat

Polls opened on 21 January 2023 at 12 AM GMT+1 and closed at 3PM GMT+1 for the first round of the election of the National Secretariat, with 24 offices were allocated for voting. 181 candidates ran for office.[31] Results of the first round were announced by 9AM GMT+1 of the next day,[32] with only two candidates obtaining the required absolute majority and a second round being held that same day, this time with 75 candidates.[33] The new members of the National Secretariat were announced by midnight GMT+1,[34] with results being partially released on Sahrawi media. The quotas were respected, with six women and eight new members elected to the National Secretariat.[35]

CandidateFirst roundSecond roundNotes
Votes%Votes%
Abdelkader Taleb Omar94750.64Re-elected
Lud Daf93750.11Elected
Lehbib Mohamed Abdelaziz1,03055.08Elected
Abaali Hamudi1,01254.12Elected
Marahib El-Mami97352.03Re-elected
Mohamed Luali Akeik96651.66Re-elected
Mohamed Sidati91749.04Re-elected
Mariam Salek Hmada91248.77Re-elected
Ahmed Abdi Lehbib79842.67Elected
Sidahmed Alayat79042.25Elected
Mustafa Mohamed Ali Sid-Elbachir76841.07Re-elected
Khatri AddouhRe-elected
Hasan BuchalgaElected
Sidi Omar72238.61Re-elected
Bachir Mustafa Sayed71938.45Re-elected
Mohamed Lamin Buhali69437.11Re-elected
Hamma Salama68936.84Re-elected
Mohamed Salem Salek68336.52Re-elected
Adda Brahim Hmaym67135.88Elected
Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun65835.18Re-elected
Mansur Omar63133.74Re-elected
Mohamed Lamin Ahmed62533.42Re-elected
Fatma MehdiRe-elected (women's quota)
Ezza BabehRe-elected (women's quota)
Maluma Larabas YumaniRe-elected (women's quota)
Enguia SalamaElected (women's quota)
Jira Bulahi BadRe-elected (women's quota)
Total
Total votes1,870–1,870–
Registered voters/turnout2,09789.182,09789.18
Source: [36][37][38]

Reactions

International

  •  Algeria: Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune congratulated re-elected president Brahim Ghali for his victory and reaffirmed Algeria's support to the "just Sahrawi cause".[39][40]
  •  Mauritania: The leader of the Union of the Forces of Progress, Mohamed Ould Maouloud (who attended the Congress as a guest), congratulated Ghali on "in his mission to guide the Sahrawi people in their legitimate struggle for self-determination and independence". He also congratulated "the new elected leadership and all the Sahrawi people".[41]
  •  Namibia: Namibian president Hage Geingob congratulated re-elected president Brahim Ghali for his victory and reaffirmed Namibia's "firm commitment to support the right to self-determination and freedom for the people of Western Sahara".[42]
  •  Russia: The Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communists of Russia, Sergey Malinkovich, congratulated Ghali for his re-election on behalf of his party and expressed his party's "unwavering solidarity with the Polisario Front and the people of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic".[43]
  •  Spain: The Communist Party of Spain congratulated the Delegate of the Polisario Front in Spain, Abdullah Arabi, for the results of the 16th Congress and re-affirmed "the support of the communist formation to the just demands of the Sahrawi people and their Government, sole and legitimate representative" through the party's responsible for Western Sahara and the Maghreb, Ismael Sánchez.[44]
    •  Galicia: Ana Miranda, a Galician Nationalist Bloc MEP (who attended the Congress as a guest), tweeted on behalf of her party that they salute Brahim Ghali, "re-elected (...) in the democratic process as Secretary General of the POLISARIO Front who will continue to fight with Sahrawi women and men for the freedom, sovereignty, self-determination of Western Sahara".[45]

Aftermath

On 19 January 2023, the Congress approved the National Action Program, which included "intensifying the armed struggle" and "strengthening the diplomatic way" as one of its points.[1] It also approved amendments to the Constitution proposed by the government's legal adviser.[46]

Bachir Mustafa Sayed accepted the results shortly after they were announced, with him criticising the family of Brahim Ghali due to a "defamation and bullying" campaign and announcing he would not run for the office again. He also considered the Congress a "little step we [the Sahrawi people] took together to expand our democracy".[47]

President-elect Brahim Ghali and the newly elected members of the National Secretariat took their oath on the night of 22 January 2023 in front of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Brahim Bella, officially concluding the 16th Congress,[48] with the National Secretariat holding its first session two days later.[49]

On 9 February 2023, Brahim Ghali dissolved the government and reappointed Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun as Prime Minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic for a second consecutive term, assigning him to form his government as soon as possible.[50] A new government was presented on 14 February 2023, together with the appointment of new governors for the five wilayas (regions) and the administrative camp of the Sahrawi refugee camps.[51]

References

  1. ^ a b "El Frente Polisario aprueba intensificar la "lucha armada" contra Marruecos en su congreso trienal" [The Polisario Front approves intensifying the "armed struggle" against Morocco at its triennial congress]. RTVE (in Spanish). 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Prieto, Nestor (11 January 2023). "El Frente Polisario celebra su XVI Congreso con la promesa de hacer «escalar la guerra» para conseguir la «independencia total»" [The Polisario Front celebrates its 16th Congress with the promise of "escalating the war" to achieve "total independence"]. Descifrando la Guerra (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  3. ^
    Sahrawi Press Service. 27 October 2022. Archived from the original
    on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  4. ^ Africa Elects [@AfricaElect] (20 January 2023). "Sahrawi Republic: Brahim Ghali (POLISARIO, left-wing to centre-left) has narrowly avoided a second round by getting 69% of the votes, the lowest result ever recorded for a winning presidential candidate" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 January 2023 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "Exceptional circumstances in 16th Polisario Front Congress". Prensa Latina. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  6. ^ "After re-election, Polisario's Ghali vows more Sahrawi resistance". Africanews. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  7. Sahrawi Press Service. 11 January 2023. Archived from the original
    on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  8. ^ "La Conferencia Nacional y el XVI Congreso General del Frente POLISARIO" [The National Conference and the XVI General Congress of the POLISARIO Front]. ECSaharaui (in Spanish). 9 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  9. Sahrawi Press Service. 18 January 2023. Archived from the original
    on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  10. Sahrawi Press Service. 20 January 2023. Archived from the original
    on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  11. ^
    Sahrawi Press Service. 19 January 2023. Archived from the original
    on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  12. Sahrawi Press Service
    . 15 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  13. ^
    Sahrawi Press Service
    . 17 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Frente Polisario inicia Congreso en zona de refugiados" [Polisario Front begins Congress in refugee zone]. Communist Party of Cuba (in Spanish). 13 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023. Cuba asiste al congreso del Frente Polisario con una delegación encabezada por Yudí Rodríguez Hernández, miembro del Secretariado del Comité Central del Partido Comunista. [Cuba attends the Polisario Front congress with a delegation headed by Yudí Rodríguez Hernández, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party.]
  15. ^ Khattatt, Mohamed (19 January 2023). "16ème Congrès du Front Polisario : La guerre du Sahara n'est pas finie" [16th Congress of the Polisario Front: The Sahara War is not over]. Maurinews (in French). Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  16. ^
    Sahrawi Press Service
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  17. ^
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  18. Sahrawi Press Service
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  19. ^ a b "Portuguese parties transmit solidarity with the Saharawi people". Por Un Sáhara Libre. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  20. Sahrawi Press Service
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  21. Sahrawi Press Service
    . 16 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  22. ^ "El Frente Polisario inaugura su XVI Congreso con la consigna de intensificar la lucha armada" [The Polisario Front inaugurates its 16th Congress with the slogan of intensifying the armed struggle]. Público (in Spanish). 14 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  23. ^ "Venezuela renueva su espaldarazo al pueblo saharaui" [Venezuela renews its support for the Sahrawi people]. United Socialist Party of Venezuela (in Spanish). 14 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  24. ^ a b c d "Todo el detalle sobre cómo funciona el Congreso del Frente Polisario" [All the details on how the Congress of the Polisario Front works]. SaharawisToday (in Spanish). 8 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  25. ^
    Sahrawi Press Service. 20 January 2023. Archived from the original
    on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  26. ^ "Bachir Mustafá Sayed aspira a liderar el Frente POLISARIO" [Bachir Mustafa Sayed aspires to lead the POLISARIO Front]. ECSaharaui (in Spanish). 17 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023. Frente a Gali y Bachir también podría postularse otro miembro: el exprimer ministro y actual embajador en Argelia, Abdelkader Taleb Omar. [Against Ghali and Bachir, another member could also run: the former prime minister and current ambassador to Algeria, Abdelkader Taleb Omar.]
  27. ^ "Así están las encuestas para las elecciones para el puesto de la Secretaría General del Frente POLISARIO" [This is how the polls are for the elections for the position of the General Secretariat of the POLISARIO Front]. ECSaharaui (in Spanish). 20 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  28. Sahrawi Press Service
    . 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  29. ^
    Sahrawi Press Service
    . 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  30. Sahrawi Press Service
    (in Spanish). 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  31. Sahrawi Press Service
    (in Arabic). 21 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  32. Sahrawi Press Service
    (in Arabic). 21 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  33. Sahrawi Press Service
    (in Arabic). 22 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  34. Sahrawi Press Service
    (in Arabic). 23 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  35. ^ SaharawisToday [@saharawistoday] (23 January 2023). "8 miembros son nuevos superando la cuota mínima de 6 miembros que se establecía este año. También se cumple la cuota mínima de 6 mujeres.
    El miembro más joven es Lehbib Mohamed Abdelaziz, con 33 años de edad"     [8 members are new, exceeding the minimum quota of 6 members that was established this year. The minimum quota of 6 women is also met.
    The youngest member is Lehbib Mohamed Abdelaziz, at 33 years of age.] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2023 – via Twitter.
  36. ^ "Dirección electa en el XVI Congreso del Frente POLISARIO" [Leadership elected at the XVI Congress of the Frente POLISARIO]. Delegation of the POLISARIO Front in Spain (in Spanish). 23 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  37. ^ RASD TV [@RASD_TVOficial] (22 January 2023). "Abdelkader Taleb Omar, embajador de la RASD en Argelia , y Lud Daf , comandante de la 3ra Región Militar, logran pasar en la 1ª votación del Secretariado Nacional del Frente POLISARIO, con más del 51% de los votos. Comienza la 2ª vuelta para elegir a los 25 miembros restantes" [Abdelkader Taleb Omar, SADR ambassador in Algeria, and Lud Daf, commander of the 3rd Military Region, managed to pass in the 1st vote of the National Secretariat of the POLISARIO Front, with more than 51% [sic.] of the votes. The 2nd round begins to choose the 25 remaining members.] (Tweet). Retrieved 24 January 2023 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ SaharawisToday [@saharawistoday] (23 January 2023). "القائمة النهائية لاعضاء الامانة الوطنية: [...]" [The final list of members of the National Secretariat: [...]] (Tweet) (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 January 2023 – via Twitter.
  39. Sahrawi Press Service
    . 22 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  40. ^ "President Tebboune congratulates Brahim Ghali on his reappointment as Polisario SG, SADR President". Algeria Press Service. 22 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  41. Sahrawi Press Service
    (in Spanish). 22 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  42. Sahrawi Press Service
    . 9 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  43. Sahrawi Press Service
    (in Arabic). 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  44. ^ "El PCE muestra su respaldo al nuevo Gobierno del Sáhara Occidental" [The PCE shows its support for the new Government of Western Sahara]. Mundo Obrero (in Spanish). 18 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  45. ^ Ana Miranda [@anamirandapaz] (20 January 2023). "Saudamos dende @obloque a elección de Brahim Ghali, reelexido hoxe no proceso democrático como Secretario Xeral do @Polisario_ que seguirá loitando coas mulleres e homes saharauis pola liberdade, soberanía, autodeterminación do #SaharaOccidental" [We welcome from @obloque the election of Brahim Ghali, re-elected today in the democratic process as Secretary General of the @Polisario_ who will continue to fight with Sahrawi women and men for the freedom, sovereignty, self-determination of the #WesternSahara] (Tweet) (in Galician). Retrieved 23 January 2023 – via Twitter.
  46. Sahrawi Press Service (in Spanish). 19 January 2023. Archived from the original
    on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  47. ^ "كلمة الأخ البشير مصطفى السيد بعد الإعلان عن نتائج انتخابات الامين العام للجبهة" [Speech of Brother Bachir Mustafa Sayed after the announcement of the results of the elections of the Secretary-General of the Front]. المستقلة للأنباء (in Arabic). 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  48. Sahrawi Press Service
    (in Arabic). 22 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  49. Sahrawi Press Service. 24 January 2023. Archived from the original
    on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  50. Sahrawi Press Service
    . 9 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  51. Sahrawi Press Service
    (in Arabic). 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
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