Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree clarifying who will assume leadership in the event of his departure, excluding Islamist group Hamas from the succession process.
In his new decree, Abbas stated that Rawhi Fattuh, chairman of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), will temporarily assume leadership if the presidency becomes vacant. The PNC is a body of over 700 members representing Palestinians both in the territories and the diaspora.
The decree also mandates that elections must occur within 90 days of a leadership vacancy, although this timeline can be extended in cases of unavoidable circumstances. This move effectively removes Hamas from any role in future transitions of power.
Abbas, 89, has remained in office since his tenure officially ended in 2009 and has resisted calls to designate a vice president or successor.
Palestinian law previously designated the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) as the interim leader in the case of a vacancy.
However, the PLC, which had been dominated by Hamas, was dissolved in 2018 following prolonged tensions between Abbas’s Fatah faction and Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007.
RSU
