The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) voted on Thursday to establish the position of vice president, potentially paving the way for a successor to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
"A vote was held to create the position of vice president," Rizq Namoura, a member of the PLO's central council, said in an interview with Palestine TV, adding the vote was "almost unanimous" in favour of establishing the post, a first for the organisation.
Palestinian analyst Aref Jaffal said the new role was created to pave the way for someone to succeed Abbas, 89.
"This position was created precisely to arrange for Abbas's successor, as there are many things the Palestinian situation requires," Jaffal, the director of the Al-Marsad Election Monitoring Center, told AFP.
"The Palestinian political system is already miserable, so I believe that all these arrangements are a prelude to creating a successor to Abbas."