Rival groups in the Palestinian ruling party Fatah said on Sunday they had struck a deal to present two separate lists of candidates for January parliamentary elections as a way to end discord. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been trying to heal a rift between veterans of the late Yasser Arafat's era and younger members demanding a bigger share of power. The rift has boosted the poll prospects of the Islamic militant group Hamas. Under the agreement reached after days of debate, each group will present its own list of candidates for the Jan. 25 elections, but they will not put forward lists that contain the same names, Fatah officials said."It was decided that Fatah will go to elections with two separate lists," party official Qaddoura Fares told Reuters. "This will not weaken the group. On the contrary we will be breathing from two lungs and will unify our efforts to beat Hamas in a democratic way."
Fatah's younger members have voiced fears that continued domination by the old guard, widely viewed as tainted by corruption, will deny them a say in the party and prompt many Fatah supporters to defect to Hamas. Hamas has grown in popularity over a corruption-free reputation, extensive charity network and its role in suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israel. The rift came into the open last week when younger Fatah members refused to accept Abbas's choice of candidates for parliament and filed their own list, led by jailed Fatah firebrand Marwan Barghouthi.