Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has announced he will run in the upcoming Jan. 9 election to fill Yasser Arafat’s post as the head of the Palestinian Authority. Barghouti is currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison. The last-minute decision stunned many. Just five days ago Barghouti had announced he would not run for office. Barghouti will face former Prime Minister and current PLO chairman Mahmud Abbas and several other candidates including pro-democracy activist Dr. Mustafa Barghouti. The jailed Barghouti said his candidacy would be a gesture of loyalty to Arafat and to the “martyrs, prisoners and the other victims and to hold onto the principles of the right of return and the rights of refugees.”