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Parliament speaker to succeed Arafat
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-11-10 20:50 The Palestinian parliament
speaker will become temporary president of the Palestinian Authority in the event of Yasser Arafat's death, PLO leaders decided Wednesday.
The decision appeared to end attempts by some
officials to change Palestinian law that provides for the speaker to be
president for 60 days, until new elections are held. Some feared the current
speaker, Rauhi Fattouh, a backbencher, would not be up to the job.
Top officials from the PLO and Arafat's
Fatah movement decided Wednesday that the law
should not be changed, said Abbas Zaki, a Fatah official.
In approving Fattouh, the leaders sidestepped the tougher
issues of succession.
Arafat, who is in a deep coma in a French hospital,
controlled three top jobs — head of the PLO, of Fatah and president of the
Palestinian Authority. A decision on who would head the PLO and Fatah — and
become Arafat's successor — will only be made after Arafat's death, said Zaki.
The top contender is the PLO's No. 2, Mahmoud Abbas, who has
been acting as caretaker leader, along with Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia.
As Palestinian Authority president, Arafat kept a tight grip
over most of the powers in the administration. But during Arafat's health
crisis, Qureia has taken some authority over financial and security issues — and
it is likely he would overshadow Fattouh.
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