Newly appointed deputy is frontrunner to become Palestinian president, but won't be without challengers including Marwan Barghouti and Mohammed Dahlan

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has named a deputy and likely successor, Middle East Eye reported. Hussein al-Sheikh was appointed vice president of the state of Palestine and the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) - two newly created positions.

Senior Palestinian officials loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas are meeting to vote on the creation of a vice presidency and could choose a possible successor to the unpopular 89-year-old.