Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat nominated the speaker of the parliament as prime minister to replace Mahmoud Abbas, who resigned Saturday after just 4 months in office.

Ahmed Qureia was an architect of the 1993 Oslo peace accords. He was accepted by top representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Fatah political movement as Arafat’s nominee to fill the position and attempt to quell a mounting political crisis.

Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian legislator and chief negotiator with Israel and the United States, said Arafat nominated Qureia today after Abbas “made a very public statement saying his resignation was final.’ ”

Qureia does not have a wide base of popular support among Palestinians, though he has been an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council from Jerusalem since 1996. He also previously served as economy and trade minister and industry minister for the Palestinian Authority.

Qureia was bypassed earlier this year when U.S., European, U.N. and Russian representatives pushed Arafat to accept Abbas. Israeli officials have already indicated they may protest the appointment, saying he is too closely associated with Arafat.