Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday appointed close aide Hussein al-Sheikh as the first-ever vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

While the appointment — a step possibly taken to assuage international doubts over Palestinian leadership — does not guarantee al-Sheikh the presidency, it does make him the frontrunner.

What does the decision mean?

Sheikh is now foremost among longtime politicians in the Fatah party hoping to succeed the 89-year-old Abbas.

However, the move appears unlikely to improve the image of Fatah among Palestinians, many of whom view the party as a closed and corrupt movement that is out of touch with the general public.

Abbas has been under pressure from Western and Arab allies, who envision an expanded role for the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the post-war governance of the Gaza Strip , to rehabilitate and reform the Palestinian Authority.

Abbas has been head of the Fatah-dominated PA since 2005 following the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Founded in 1964, the PLO has the power to negotiate and sign international treaties on behalf of the Palestinian people, while the PA is responsible for governance in parts of the Palestinian territories.

An umbrella organization that comprises several Palestinian factions, the PLO does not include the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Who is Hussein al-Sheikh?

At 64, Sheikh is a veteran leader of Abbas' Fatah movement, which dominates the PA. He is considered close to the president.

In the late 1970s and early 80s, he spent more than 10 years in Israeli prisons and learned to speak Hebrew.

Sheikh became the PLO Executive Committee's secretary-general and head of its negotiations department, deemed to be a sensitive portfolio.

The president also recently appointed him as the chief of a committee that oversees Palestinian diplomatic missions abroad.

Edited by: Kieran Burke