Hezbollah Again Postpones General Congress
Hezbollah's decision to again delay its general congress may be linked in part to regional developments, including Bahrain and Syria, writes an Al-Monitor correspondent in Beirut.
Hezbollah was supposed to hold its general congress at the end of last year, but it was postponed until this spring, and then postponed again to next September. The main reason for these repeated delays is the situation in Syria, and Hezbollah is inclined to set its priorities in accordance with these developments. It goes without saying that Hezbollah is strategically affected by the situation in Syria. The group is linked to the Syrian regime through a strategic partnership, as part of the Iranian-led "axis of resistance" in the Middle East.
Hezbollah, given its preoccupation with monitoring the events in Syria, was forced to postpone the congress until later this summer. If Hezbollah had held this congress — which would be the party's 10th annual congress — according to schedule, it would have been a special occasion, given that the date coincided with the 30th anniversary of the party's birth. In fact, there are two different dates marking the birth of Hezbollah. The first is the date that the formation of the party was announced. This occurred on Feb. 16, 1984, when the party's spokesman at the time, Ibrahim al-Amin, announced the party's political charter in a message titled "The Open Letter." In this document, the party responded to the question, "Who are we?" The second date that could be considered the "birth of the party" is when the group launched its covert resistance mission against the Israeli occupation in many areas throughout Lebanon in 1982.
Since 1986 — when the party held its first general congress — Hezbollah has held nine consecutive general congresses. During the first congress, Hezbollah defined its internal structure, which clarified the role of its internal institutions and the mechanisms for electing party officials. These officials range from the secretary- general, who is the head of the party, to the members of the Shura Council, which is the highest leadership body and is headed by the secretary-general. They also include members of the "jihadist council", which deals with military and security decisions and comprises seven members, including the secretary-general. It should be noted that the party's most prominent military commander, Imad Mughniyeh, was a member of the jihadist council until his assassination in 2008.
This first congress saw the election of the party's first secretary-general, Sheik Subhi al-Tufayli, who remained in this post until the election of Hezbollah's second secretary-general, Abbas al-Musawi, in 1991. After Musawi was assassinated at the hands of Israel in 1992, Hassan Nasrallah was elected his successor and to this day remains in office.
