Exclusive: Marwan Barghouthi to run for Palestine presidential election

Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- The member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, Hatem Abdel Qader, has told QNN that Fatah prominent leader, prisoner Marwan Barghouthi, will run for the presidential election in Palestine.

Abdel Qader told QNN in an exclusive statement that Barghouthi has decided to run for the next presidential election.

He added that he believes that Barghouthi would be Fatah’s most likely candidate if Abbas decides not to run for the election.

“We need to wait to know Abu Mazen’s position regarding being part of the presidential run”, he added. “especially that he has already said before that he will not run for the next election despite statements by figures with close ties to him that he is Fatah’s sole candidate”.

“We hope to have one candidate in Fatah”, he added.

Barghouthi is regarded as a leader of the First and Second Intifadas. He was arrested in 2002 in Ramallah and sentenced to five life sentences. In 2011, Hamas insisted on releasing him among other prisoners in the prisoners exchange, however, the occupation state rejected Hamas’s efforts.

Abdel Qader expected that the occupation state will reject conducting the polls in occupied Jerusalem.

“We do not expect that the occupation will respond to the Palestinian request [to conduct the election in occupied Jerusalem] before its internal election. We will wait until the Europeans put pressure on the Israeli leaders to include Jerusalem in the election”.

Abdel Qader stressed that there will be no election without Jerusalem, as it is Palestine’s capital.