Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a new constitutional declaration on Sunday, paving the way for his deputy, Hussein Al-Sheikh, to assume the duties of the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority temporarily in the event of a vacancy in the position, until general elections are held. This step was described as coming at a precise and sensitive time aimed at ensuring an organized and peaceful transfer of power, and preserving the unity of the Palestinian political decision.
Sources in Ramallah told "Asharq Al-Awsat" that the decision is "necessary and realistic," given the sensitivity of the stage and the complexity of the political scene, indicating that it also comes to block any attempts to bypass the Palestine Liberation Organization or form parallel references to it, and also falls within the framework of reforms that the Palestinian leadership pledged recently. According to the constitutional declaration, the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, who is also the Deputy President of the State of Palestine, will assume the duties of the presidency of the National Authority temporarily for a period not exceeding 90 days, during which free and direct elections are held to choose a new president in accordance with the Palestinian election law. If it is impossible to organize elections during that period for compelling reasons, the period can be extended by a decision of the Palestinian Central Council for only one time. President Abbas said in the text of the declaration that taking this decision came "out of awareness of the specificity of the delicate stage that the Palestinian issue is going through, and in the interest of protecting the political system and ensuring its continuity, and preserving constitutional institutions and their stability." He added, "With this declaration, we affirm the principle of separation of powers and the peaceful transfer of power through free and fair elections, in order to preserve the stability of the homeland and its supreme interests." The new decision cancels Constitutional Declaration No. (1) of 2024, issued in November of last year, which stipulated that Rawhi Fattouh, the Speaker of the Palestinian National Council, would assume the temporary presidency for a period not exceeding 90 days. This step is seen as the beginning of internal arrangements aimed at strengthening constitutional legitimacy and ensuring the continuity of the institutions of the Palestinian state, at a time when political and security challenges are increasing internally and externally.
