Abbas could be next prime minister

President Abbas is a potential candidate to take over the role of PA prime minister following the resignation of Salam Fayyad, a senior Fatah official said Tuesday. Jamal Muheisen, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, told Ma'an that the next Palestinian Authority prime minister will either be Abbas, a Fatah central committee member, or an independent figure. President Abbas will announce the candidate for PA premier once he returns from an official visit to Kuwait, Muheisen said. The Fatah official said he hopes Abbas will head a government of technocrats which can oversee general elections. Senior Fatah Azzam al-Ahmad said Monday that Abbas must consult with Palestinian movements to form a unity government and prepare for elections. Abbas accepted Fayyad's resignation at a brief meeting at the Muqataa presidential compound in Ramallah on Saturday, but officials said he had asked the 61-year-old to stay on in a caretaker role until a new premier can be appointed. In May last year, Abbas was put forward for the role of prime minister within the framework of a "national unity government" during a reconciliation meeting with Hamas in Doha. The decision proved controversial within Hamas ranks, and both parties said the other had requested a delay in putting together the cabinet, creating another impasse in the reconciliation process. The rival factions signed a reconciliation deal in May 2011 and agreed to hold elections within a year, and appoint an interim government to unite both territories. But the parties sparred for months over the candidate to lead the unity government.