Hussein al-Sheikh: the new frontrunner to succeed Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas

On Saturday, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) announced that 64-year-old Hussein al-Sheikh, the current secretary-general of the PLO’s executive committee and a close ally of President Mahmoud Abbas, has been approved by the executive committee to assume the newly created position of vice-president.

He now becomes the first vice-president in the PLO’s history since its establishment in 1964.

The appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice-president of the PLO does not guarantee he will succeed 89-year-old Abbas as Palestinian president, but it makes him the clear frontrunner among Fatah’s long-standing leadership.

But their is still no clear path of succession in the Palestinian Authority, the governing body for Palestinians in the West Bank.

A few months ago, Abbas signed a presidential decree stating that, in the event of his incapacitation, the head of the Palestinian National Council — not the PLO Deputy Chairman — would temporarily assume leadership. Al-Sheikh himself has emphasised over the past year that anyone stepping into Abbas' role would only manage the PA and PLO on an interim basis until gaining full legitimacy through elections, Jack Khoury reports in Haaretz.

But what is currently framed as a "temporary" appointment could easily become permanent. Al-Sheikh, considered one of the most influential figures in Abbas’ inner circle, has strategically placed close associates in key roles within the security services and Civil Affairs Authority.