Marwan Barghouti insists on running for president in Palestinian elections
Fatah leaders are scrambling to convince imprisoned leader Marwan Barghouti to run in the Fatah list for the legislative elections, and renounce his bid to run for the presidency.
When Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued the election decree Jan. 15, many expected that his Fatah party's biggest challenge would come from political rivals Hamas and renegade Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan.
Dahlan’s participation was quickly discounted when the head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission, Hanna Nasser, told a press conference Jan. 16 that no one with a criminal conviction in Palestinian court (which Dahlan has) could run for any office. Supporters of Dahlan are likely to run in a separate list, but they are not expected to get more than five of the 130 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
