Abbas made PLO chairman

MAHMOUD ABBAS, a former prime minister and a veteran peace negotiator, was elected chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation yesterday within hours of Yasser Arafat’s death, putting him on a track to become the next overall leader of the Palestinians.

However, with Mr Arafat having indicated no preferred successor, Palestinians quickly installed a collective leadership, handing top positions to moderates and hard-liners alike in a bid to avoid a power vacuum.

The 69-year-old Mr Abbas, better known as Abu Mazen and who long worked in Mr Arafat’s shadow as the PLO’s number two official, takes the most powerful of the three titles Mr Arafat held - president of the Palestinian Authority, leader of the Fatah movement and head of the PLO.

The PLO executive committee vote was unanimous, said Palestinian Cabinet minister Ibrahim Abu Najah. “That means no one will compete with him in the election for president.”

Rauhi Fattouh, a virtual unknown, was to be sworn in yesterday as temporary president of the Palestinian Authority, inheriting the title but not the power held by Mr Arafat.

Under law, Mr Fattouh will serve as caretaker president until elections are held within 60 days.

Ahmed Qureia, the Palestinian prime minister, heads government in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

By contrast, Farouk Kaddoumi, a hard-liner, was named to take over as head of Fatah, the dominant Palestinian faction.

In moving within hours of Mr Arafat’s death to fill the void, Palestinian leaders signalled their determination to ensure a smooth transition and allay concerns that the lack of a single strong leader could touch off factional fighting.

“We can be certain transition will be smooth, and the Palestinian people deserve to have free and fair elections,” Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said.

Mr Abbas was one of the first top PLO officials to recognise Israel and distanced himself from terror activities. He led Palestinian negotiators in peace talks in the 1990s and has met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Mr Abbas has also been a critic of the armed conflict that emerged from the Palestinian uprising that began in September 2000. He said what happened “is a complete destruction of everything we built.”

Mr Fattouh, 55, grew up in the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza. He left Gaza for studies abroad in the 1960s, joined Fatah in 1968 and returned from exile in 1994, along with Mr Arafat and other Palestinian officials.

In the first Palestinian general elections in 1996, he was elected to the parliament on a Fatah slate. In 2003, he was appointed agriculture minister, and a year later was chosen speaker, replacing Mr Qureia who became prime minister.

Mr Fattouh is a mid-level Fatah activist, and was chosen as speaker after being offered as a compromise candidate during a power struggle between Mr Arafat and his parliament.

However, many believe that jailed leader Marwan Barghouti is the only figure with enough popularity to inherit Mr Arafat’s mantle.