Gere tries to get out the PLO vote
Actor Richard Gere is appearing in a Palestinian TV spot, encouraging voters in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to show up at the polls Sunday to pick a successor to Yasser Arafat.
Gere joined Palestinian Muslim and Greek Orthodox religious figures in promoting the election for president of the Palestinian Authority.
“Hi, I’m Richard Gere and I’m speaking for the entire world,” the 55-year-old actor says in the ad. “We’re with you during this election time. It’s really important. Get out and vote.”
Mohammed Abbas, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, is the front-runner among a field of seven candidates to succeed Arafat, who died Nov. 11.
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