RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories – Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has laid the groundwork for his succession, naming Rawhi Fattuh, chairman of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), as his temporary replacement should the presidency become vacant. The decree, issued on November 27, effectively excludes the Islamist Hamas movement from any role in the transition.
At 89, Abbas remains in power despite his presidential term officially ending in 2009, and has long resisted calls for a successor. Under Palestinian law, in the event of a power vacuum, the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) would assume leadership. However, after Abbas dissolved the PLC in 2018 amid tensions with Hamas, the PNC, which is dominated by Abbas’s secular Fatah party, now plays a key role.
The decree specifies that elections for a new president must be held within 90 days after a transition period, although this timeline could be extended in cases of “force majeure.” Hamas, which does not belong to the PLO and has no representation in the PNC, is thus excluded from the process.
The announcement comes amid ongoing conflict in Gaza, following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on southern Israel, and as divisions between Fatah and Hamas remain deep. The Palestinian Authority faces growing challenges, including financial difficulties and increasing calls from Israel’s far-right ministers to annex parts of the West Bank.