The mainstream Fatah movement on Monday officially chose Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), as its candidate to run for the presidential election due on Jan. 9, 2005, the official WAFA news agency reported.

"The Fatah Central Committee has overwhelmingly chosen Mahmoud Abbas, comrade and brother of eternal leader Yasser Arafat, as the Fatah's candidate to run for the next presidential election," WAFA quoted a statement as saying.

Palestinian Social Welfare Minister Intisar Al Wazir also informed the press of the decision after a Fatah meeting was held Monday night.

Abbas, 69, succeeded Arafat as the PLO's chairman after the death of the Palestinian leader.

If Abu Mazen was elected president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), he would take two of Arafat's main posts.

Three other candidates nominated to run for the presidential election are Mustafa al Barghouti, leader of left-wing parties, Talal Seder, an independent candidate close to the radical group Hamas and a professor from the West Bank city of Nablus.

Hamas and the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) announced that they would not participate in the election unless the legislative election was held as well.