On october 27th, Yasser Arafat's health took a turn for the worse. Doctors were rushed to his battered headquarters in Ramallah amid a blizzard of conflicting rumours. The Palestinian leader's condition was either "critical" or "stable", depending on which report you believed. Whatever the truth, the question was inevitably raised. If Mr Arafat were to die or be incapacitated, what next? On paper, mechanisms for succession are in place. The speaker of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Rauhi Fattouh, would become acting president until a more suitable leader or leadership could be found. The most likely candidate would be the PA prime minister, Ahmed Qurei (also known as Abu Alaa). Mr Arafat's chairmanship of the Palestine Liberation Organisation would go to Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), himself a former PA prime minister. Both men were summoned to see Mr Arafat on October 27th, fuelling speculation that some form of succession was imminent.
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