The Gaza-based Palestinian terrorist group Hamas said it will not be nominating a candidate for the Palestinian presidential elections, the Qarar-based Al-Jazeera network reported on Sunday, citing senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk.
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The report comes as a likely boon for Palestinian Authority President and Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who saw dwindling support in opinion polls.
According to some of the recent surveys, Abbas would have lost if facing off with Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh.
He could still be in for a battle with Marwan Barghouti, a convicted terrorist who is currently behind bars in Israel.
Barghouti, a key figure in the 1987 and 2000 Intifadas, who is currently serving five life sentences on charges of murder, is said to be in talks with Fatah on the prospect of running for the office – from prison.
Earlier this year, Abbas issued decrees calling for Palestinian legislative and presidential elections, the first in over a decade, to be held this year.
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While the Palestinian factions have been in contact on hammering out the details of the vote, skeptics remain unconvinced, with multiple earlier vows to hold elections boiling down to nothing.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
