The Congress of the Polisario Front (, ) is the supreme decision-making body of the Polisario Front, with the power to decide on major tasks of the political, organizational, military, social, economic, diplomatic, media, cultural and other areas of the Front and the Sahrawi Republic.
The Congress is held every three years, with the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front being able to postpone it for a year. Participants in the Congress include elected activists, members of the National Secretariat and government, ambassadors, local political officials, members of the General Staff of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army, delegates elected from every military region, representatives of mass and student organizations, heads of the municipalities and delegates representing the Sahrawi community abroad.
Congresses evaluate the phase between two congresses, decide a program of national action, review the provisions of the Basic Law of the Polisario Front and Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, elect both the Secretary-General for the Polisario Front and the members of National Secretariat, which is the leadership body capable of taking major decisions on behalf of the Polisario Front between congresses.
Convocations
16 ordinary and one extraordinary congresses have been held so far. Congress Named after the martyr Duration(start—end) Elected Location Secretary-General 1st Congress Mohamed Sidi Brahim Bassir 29 April – 1 May 1973 Brahim Ghali Zouérat 2nd Congress Abderrahman Abdelahe 25 – 31 August 1974 El Wali Mustafa Sayed 3rd Congress El Wali Mustafa Sayed 25 – 28 August 1976 Mohamed Abdelaziz 4th Congress Sid Haydug 25 – 30 September 1978 5th Congress Bachir Saleh 12 – 16 October 1982 6th Congress Mohamed Lamin Abba Chej 7 – 10 December 1985 7th Congress Sidi Azman 28 April – 1 May 1989 8th Congress Bulahe Taleb Omar 17 – 19 June 1991 9th Congress Chej Bachri Hamadi 19 – 26 August 1995 10th Congress Ahmed Salem Mohamed Embarek 26 August – 4 September 1999 11th Congress Emborik Labeid Brahim Al Abd 12 – 19 October 2003 12th Congress Mesaud Embarek Ahmed Lehsan 14 – 20 December 2007 Tifariti 13th Congress Mahafud Ali Beiba 15 – 22 December 2011 Tifariti 14th Congress Jalil Sidi Emhamed 16 – 20 December 2015 Dajla camp Extraordinary Congress Mohamed Abdelaziz 8 – 9 July 2016 Brahim Ghali Dajla camp 15th Congress Bujari Ahmed Barikal-la 19 – 23 December 2019 Tifariti 16th Congress M'hamed Jaddad 13 – 22 January 2023 Dajla camp
References