WEST BANK (Dispatches) – 
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has named Rawhi Fattouh, the head of the Palestinian National Council, as his successor after years of delaying presidential elections in the West Bank.
Abbas issued a decree stating that Fattouh would be temporarily appointed as his replacement if the position of PA president becomes vacant, according to a readout of the decree published by the Palestinian news outlet, Wafa.
The decree read that Abbas made the decision out of a “belief and awareness of this delicate stage in the history of the homeland and the Palestinian cause”.
If Fattouh becomes interim president, he will serve for 90 days until presidential elections are held, in accordance with Palestinian electoral law.
Fattouh previously served as interim Palestinian president in 2004 following the death of Yasser Arafat until Abbas was elected in January 2005. He also previously served as the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), which acts as parliament.
Senior Palestinian sources told Haaretz that Abbas was pressured to announce his retirement or choose a replacement if he could no longer fulfil his duties.
Abbas’ rise to power as president also coincided with the increased suppression of individual freedoms in the West Bank.
The 89-year-old has been PA president for two decades. In 2021, he delayed the first Palestinian elections in 15 years.