Barghouti presents own list, signaling Fatah split

Jailed uprising leader presenting separate list for election signaling split in ruling Fatah Party¤

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
The wife of jailed uprising leader Marwan Barghouti entered election headquarters in Ramallah late Wednesday to present a list of candidates for January parliamentary elections, signaling that Barghouti has left Fatah and split the ruling party. Fadwa Barghouti carried the list into the building 90 minutes before a midnight deadline for registering parties. The move came after Fatah old-timers, headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, failed to satisfy young activists like Barghouti, who wanted control of the Fatah faction after winning primaries. The split would be a bitter blow for Abbas and a boost for the Islamic Hamas, contesting a parliamentary election for the first time.