The Palestinian Authority presidential elections, which are to be held on January 9, will infuse Palestinian political life with new vigor, according to analysts.
But Palestinian analysts also say that no incoming president will be able to fill the gap that Arafat left when he passed away.
"Any president after Arafat will face many problems that Arafat left unresolved," said Hani Al Masri, one such analyst.
However, everyday there's a surprise - a new candidate wants to run in the presidential elections. To date some 13 Palestinians who represent several political and social segments of the Palestinian community have announced they are determined to run for office.
Among them are Fatah's candidate Mahmoud Abbas, Majeda Al Batesh, a freelance journalist from Jerusalem, Christian lawyer Ghassan Barhum, university professor Abed Al Sattar Kasem, temporary speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Hassan Khreishe, university lecturers Ayoub Othman and Hassan Nourany, secretary-general of the left-wing People's Party Bassam Al Salhi, and chairman of the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouti.
It is expected that several others will also announce their candidacy, including member of the Central Committee of the Popular Struggle Abdel Aziz Qudeeh. Registration for the presidential elections will close December 1.
However, neither Islamic Hamas nor Jihad movements will participate in the elections.
Observers believe that despite the large numbers of candidates, chances of anyone other than Fatah nominee Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), winning are slim.
Fatah - the mainstream movement of the PLO that was headed by Arafat - is considered the largest political faction in the Palestinian territories. It normally takes first place in polls.
The election law doesn't set conditions for religion, gender or level of education. The requirements for running are that the candidate be over 35 years old, registered for the list of candidates, and pay $3,000 to the Central Elections Committee. Each candidate also needs the signatures of 5,000 supporters. Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails may also be on the ballot.
The final list of candidates is to be publicly announced December 15, two days before the election campaign begins. Campaigning must end January 8.
The reason so many candidates are running for president is the absence of Arafat. Many preferred not to compete with him in the 1996 elections because of his popularity. Only one candidate, a Palestinian woman, had the courage to run against Arafat in the last presidential elections, but she won only a small number of votes.
Many Palestinians say the coming elections have helped activate Palestinian political life, once dominated by Arafat, and they expect the political system to improve.
Salhi, the candidate for the People's Party, the former Socialist Party, said that the elections represent a new era of political diversity for Palestinians. He added that his party has a national salvation plan that aims at ending chaos and making serious reforms.
Khreishe - who formed a group called the Democratic Coalition in the Palestinian Legislative Council that consists of nine legislative members - said that his group is looking forward to becoming more influential.
"We really feel that we are in need of such a political [development], which could reconcile the secular Fatah movement on one hand and the Islamic groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the other," he said.
Fatah-Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti, in jail in Israel, announced his candidacy on Wednesday.
Elections won't bring another Arafat
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