Analyst Hopes 35th Congress Will Proceed as Expected by NU Community

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Social-political analyst Fachry Ali hopes that the 35th Congress of Nahdlatul Ulama will proceed in line with the expectations of NU members. In addition, he hopes that the NU Congress, planned for 2026, will produce leadership that strengthens NU’s position as a civil society force or independent civic society. “The congress outcome must reflect that NU is a civil society force capable of organising itself, financially independent, politically independent, and intellectually independent from the state or any other powers,” he said in a statement confirmed in Jakarta on Wednesday. In the economic field, he hopes that the Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board can strengthen the people’s economy, which relies on small traders, small farmers, and lower economic groups that have been the material base of NU’s development since its inception. “Since its birth in 1926, NU has been very economically independent. This is what must be implemented again by the PBNU resulting from the August 2026 Congress,” he said. On a previous occasion, PBNU Secretary General Saifullah Yusuf, alias Gus Ipul, stated that PBNU will hold the 35th NU Congress from 1 to 5 August 2026. He said the main agenda of the 35th NU Congress is the election of the PBNU General Chairman.