Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti on Saturday morning emerged as one of the most popular candidates in the Fatah primary vote ahead of the Palestinian Authority elections in January. Barghouti, who is serving five life terms in an Israeli jail, had a strong showing in the West Bank town of Ramallah where he was running from prison, winning some 30,000 votes out of the 40,000 eligible Fatah voters, Reuters reported.
Altogether, some 1,000 people are seeking 132 places to run for Fatah, the ruling Palestinian party, in Palestinian Legislative Council elections in January.
Barghouti, 46 is considered by many as a potential future successor to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, if he is to be released from prison.
Ramallah election official Jamal Muheisen told Reuters that Barghouti was the clear leader in the early stages of the count with some 8,500 votes, although 40 more polling stations in the Ramallah district had still to declare their results.
