Palestinian leader Abbas names successor 'in case of vacancy'

 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree outlining a succession plan "in case of vacancy," WAFA news agency reported on Sunday.

The measure paves the way for his deputy, Hussein al-Sheikh, to temporarily assume power, the Palestinian news agency said.

Under the decree, al-Sheikh, 64, would lead the Palestinian Authority for up to 90 days should Abbas be unable to perform his duties.

A presidential election would be held within that period. The regulation would also apply in the event of a resignation, although no such move is currently expected by Abbas.

Al-Sheikh, a close confidant of Abbas, was appointed vice president earlier this year after the post was created in April.

Abbas, 89, succeeded Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) founder Yasser Arafat as president in 2005 after winning that year’s election — the last presidential vote held in the Palestinian territories.

He and his Fatah movement are more moderate than the Islamist group Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip by force in 2007, ousting Fatah.

The Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas, exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank but has no authority over Israeli military decisions or the expansion of Jewish settlements there, which continue under Israel’s current government.