Palestinians to elect their leader

Mahmud Abbas, the leader of Palestine Liberation Organisation (&to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2001/09/07/14459.html ' target=_blank>PLO), known as Abu Mazen was nominated by the Fatah movement to run as its candidate in the Palestinian presidential elections to replace Yasser Arafat, a senior official said on Sunday.

"The Fatah central committee has chosen Abu Mazen (Abbas) as its candidate for the presidential elections on January 9," the official, who is a member of the faction's decision-making body, told AFP on condition of anonymity, reports News24.

According to the Channel News Asia, members of Fatah's central committee voted unanimously for Abbas to contest the polls which will be only the second time that the &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2002/07/04/31807.html ' target=_blank>Palestinian people have had the opportunity to elect their leader.