Rawhi Fattuh
Encyclopedia
Rawhi Fattuh (born 1949) is the former Speaker
of the Palestinian Legislative Council
and was the interim President of the Palestinian Authority, following the death of Yasser Arafat
on November 11, 2004 until January 15, 2005. Under Palestinian law, he was to hold the post for 60 days until an election is held. The elections
were held and won by Mahmoud Abbas
, who was sworn in on January 15, 2005.
movement, Fattuh became the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council
(i.e. parliament) on March 10, 2004. He was elected in 1996 as a representative of the town of Rafah
(in the Gaza Strip
), where he was born and has lived for most of his life. He served as secretary to the council until November 2003, when he became the Minister of Agriculture in the government of Ahmed Qureia.
In March 2004, Fatah nominated him as its candidate for the post of speaker
of the Palestinian Legislative Council, with 34 Fatah delegates voting in favour and 10 against. Fattuh is generally considered a moderate
. He supported Ahmed Qureia, his predecessor as Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, as Arafat's permanent replacement. Qureia is considered to have played an instrumental role in the negotiation of the Oslo Accords
.
Fattuh did not run in the 2006 legislative election
and is no longer a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Palestinian Legislative Council
The Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority, is a unicameral body with 132 members, elected from 16 electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza...
and was the interim President of the Palestinian Authority, following the death of Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
on November 11, 2004 until January 15, 2005. Under Palestinian law, he was to hold the post for 60 days until an election is held. The elections
Palestinian presidential election, 2005
The 2005 Palestinian presidential election — the first to be held since 1996 — took place on January 9, 2005 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Voters elected PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas as the new President of the Palestinian Authority to replace Yasser Arafat, who died on November 11,...
were held and won by Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas , also known by the kunya Abu Mazen , has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket.Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally...
, who was sworn in on January 15, 2005.
Biography
A member of Arafat's FatahFatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
movement, Fattuh became the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Palestinian Legislative Council
The Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority, is a unicameral body with 132 members, elected from 16 electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza...
(i.e. parliament) on March 10, 2004. He was elected in 1996 as a representative of the town of Rafah
Rafah
Rafah , also known as Rafiah, is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,003 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. Rafah camp and Tall as-Sultan form separate localities. Rafah is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
(in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
), where he was born and has lived for most of his life. He served as secretary to the council until November 2003, when he became the Minister of Agriculture in the government of Ahmed Qureia.
In March 2004, Fatah nominated him as its candidate for the post of speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Palestinian Legislative Council, with 34 Fatah delegates voting in favour and 10 against. Fattuh is generally considered a moderate
Moderate
In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical. In recent years, political moderates has gained traction as a buzzword....
. He supported Ahmed Qureia, his predecessor as Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, as Arafat's permanent replacement. Qureia is considered to have played an instrumental role in the negotiation of the Oslo Accords
Oslo Accords
The Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles , was an attempt to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict...
.
Fattuh did not run in the 2006 legislative election
Palestinian legislative election, 2006
On January 25, 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council , the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority . Notwithstanding the 2005 municipal elections and the January 9, 2005 presidential election, this was the first election to the PLC since 1996; subsequent...
and is no longer a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.