Palestinian candidates prepare to campaign

As the election for a new Palestinian president draws ever nearer, candidates have lined up for the short, but intense campaign to succeed late leader, Yasser Arafat.

The European Union says it will support the landmark vote. Less than six weeks to go, and Palestinian candidates are gearing up for some intense campaigning, reported CCTV.com on Wednesday.

Candidate must be at least 35 years old, registered voters, and able to come up with 3,000 US dollars. And independent candidates have the additional hurdle of having to collect at least 5,000 signatures from supporters.

Former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is the choice of the mainstream Fatah party. He's already stepped into Arafat's shoes as PLO Chairman. With no emergence of a strong rival, he's the front-runner.

Second favorite appears to be physician and pro-democracy activist Mustafa Barghouthi. He says he'd represent the "silent majority" not affiliated with any political factions. Barghouthi is a distant cousin of jailed Fatah member Marwan Barghouthi, who enjoys a large majority of public support, but who has declined to run.

Candidate registration closes on Wednesday. The list will be made public on December 15. Campaigning will last from December 27 to January 8.

(cctv.com)