ALBAWABA - On Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made a new constitutional declaration that laid out the legal framework for handling a possible vacancy in the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority. This was a big step toward codifying succession procedures in the face of ongoing political stagnation.
The declaration says that if the presidential office becomes vacant while the Palestinian Legislative Council is still dissolved, the Vice President of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) — who is also the Vice President of the State of Palestine — will take over the duties of the president until the council is reformed. The Palestinian Election Law says that this interim period can last no longer than 90 days, during which time free and direct elections must be held to choose a new president.
If "force majeure" makes it impossible to hold elections during that time, the Palestinian Central Council can only extend the interim term once by making an official decision.
According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, this new declaration cancels the previous constitutional decree No. 1 of 2024 in order to protect "the national interests of the Palestinian people."
In a statement that came with the decree, President Abbas stressed that the decision upholds the principle of separation of powers and the peaceful transfer of power through free and fair elections. This shows that his government is still committed to constitutional legitimacy.
The move comes at a time when politics in the Palestinian territories are very unstable. People are still trying to find a way to get along with each other and bring back democratic institutions that have been mostly inactive for years.
