From Abbas declares Rawhi Fattouh will be interim PA head if presidency becomes vacant
Rawhi Fattouh, head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, attends a cabinet meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah in July 2004. (AFP Photo/Jamal Aruri))
The Palestinian Authority announces that PA President Mahmoud Abbas, 89, has declared that if the presidency becomes vacant he will be temporarily replaced by Rawhi Fattouh, the former speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council who also served as interim PA chief following the death of Yasser Arafat.
A statement posted to the PA’s official Wafa news site says that in such an event, Fattouh will serve as interim president for no more than 90 days, during which presidential elections will be held. But if it’s not possible to hold elections, the Palestinian Central Council can grant a one-time extension to the interim president’s term.
