Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed a new deputy in a major step to designate a successor. Hussein al-Sheikh, a veteran aide and confidant, has been named as the new vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization. While this appointment does not guarantee that he will be the next Palestinian president, it makes him the front-runner among longtime politicians in the dominant Fatah party. The move is unlikely to improve Fatah's image among Palestinians as a closed and corrupt movement out of touch with the general public.