Abbas set for victory in Palestinian election
PLO chairman Mahmud Abbas appeared yesterday guaranteed of victory in the Palestinian presidential election after the withdrawal of his chief rival but an upsurge of violence underlined the scale of the challenge ahead.
Jailed Intifada leader Marwan Barghuti's decision late Sunday to drop out of the contest cleared the path for Abbas who is now expected to romp home in the January 9 contest to succeed Yasser Arafat as head of the Palestinian Authority.
Barghuti's withdrawal followed massive pressure from the dominant Fatah faction which had been stunned and angered by his original decision to run, announced just hours before the close of nominations on December 1.
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