NEWS: Baghrouti Decides to Run for Palestinian Election, page 1

Maghwan Barghouti, 45, who is currently serving five consecutive life sentences in an Israeli prison, decides to run for the palestinian presidential elections. As a younger member of the Fatah leadership, he is hugely popular among palestinian voters.

www.aljazeera.com
Associates of Marwan Barghouti said on Wednesday that the jailed Palestinian leader has reversed an earlier decision and decided to run for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority.

Barghouti's new decision would reduce the chances of the interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is the presidential nominee for the Fatah movement and the candidate most favored by the U.S. and Israel.

A poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in September (before Yasser Arafat's death), showed that 22% of the Palestinians supported Barghouti as a vice- president while Abbas had only two percent.

Barghouti is a leading Fatah member representing the younger generation in the movement.

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Baghrouti is definitely the most popular choice as palestinian president, a natural follower for Yasser Arafat. But would Israel accept a palestinian vote in Baghrouti's favor, given that he is currently serving life terms in israeli custody ?

[edit on 12-1-2004 by Zion Mainframe]