Will Nasser al-Qudwa be the dark horse of Palestinian presidential race?
Nasser al-Qudwa seems to be emerging as the dark horse in the Palestinian election gambit. A look at his strategy for the Palestinian elections.
Palestinian politics got even more complicated this week, with Fatah Central Committee member and former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Qudwa insisting on his opposition to the official Fatah electoral strategy while linking his political future to that of imprisoned leader Marwan Barghouti.
The latest attempt by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to convince Qudwa not to run on a separate list has failed to pave the way for a possible challenge in the upcoming May 22 elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
Qudwa, who spent many years at the United Nations representing Palestine and had a run as a UN peace envoy to Syria, appears set to lead an alternative Palestinian nationalist list to the upcoming elections in direct defiance of and some say threats from Abbas not to run outside the official list. Speaking at a virtual conference organized by Bir Zeit University Feb. 19 on US President Joe Biden's foreign policy, Qudwa said elections require much more preparation and deeper dialogue with other national forces, business leaders, civil society and other active forces in Palestinian society. He dismissed any cooperation with Mohammed Dahlan.
While Qudwa has linked his political future with the imprisoned Barghouti, he appears to have opposed his reluctance to participate in the legislative elections. “We are fully with Marwan, but he needs to take a position in this political dialogue (meaning the legislative elections), and he can’t escape responsibility by saying leave me for the presidential run.” Qudwa continued, "If he wants to run for president, we are with him. But he needs to be part of this process.”
