RAMALLAH, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is expected to establish the position of vice president for the first time in its history during the upcoming two-day meeting of its central council in Ramallah, Palestinian sources said on Tuesday.

The initiative for a vice presidency, announced by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during the emergency Arab summit in Cairo in March, follows mounting international and regional calls for reforms in the Palestinian political system.

According to the sources, the PLO Central Council will convene to amend the Palestinian Basic Law to pave the way for establishing the new position, and invitations have been sent to the council's 180 members to attend the session.

Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, told Xinhua that the creation of a vice president is a purely internal decision aimed at addressing functional needs within the organization, not a response to foreign pressure.

"The vice president will serve as the deputy head for both the PLO Executive Committee and the State of Palestine," he added, underlining that the PLO remains the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, rather than the Palestinian Authority, which was formed by the PLO under an agreement with Israel.

Majdalani noted that the appointment of a vice president will follow a decision by the PLO Executive Committee and the president, stressing that any candidate must first be a current member of the PLO Executive Committee.

While the position is yet to be filled, several political figures have emerged as potential candidates. These include Jibril Rajoub, secretary general of the Fatah Central Committee; Rawhi Fattouh, chairman of the Palestinian National Council; Mahmoud al-Aloul, Fatah's deputy leader; and Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the PLO Executive Committee.

The decision to establish the position was made amidst a complex political environment. "There is growing concern about a political vacuum should the president's post become unexpectedly vacant," Ramallah-based political analyst Esmat Mansour told Xinhua, saying establishing the role is a safeguard for the continuity of governance.

"This could mark the beginning of a broader restructuring of the Palestinian political system," Mansour noted. Enditem

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