The Palestine Liberation Organization has created a vice presidency under leader Mahmoud Abbas, potentially positioning the role as a successor to Abbas. The vice chairman of the PLO Executive Committee will also be referred to as the vice president of the State of Palestine. The expectation is that the person in this role will be the front-runner to succeed Abbas, although it is unclear when or how the position will be filled. The move may be an attempt to appease critics and gain relevance in postwar planning for the Gaza Strip.