MIDDLE EAST: President Mahmoud Abbas calls for fresh Palestinian parliamentary and Presidential elections, raising the stakes after days of internal violence that has renewed fears of civil war

President Mahmoud Abbas called on Saturday (December 16) for fresh Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections, raising the stakes after days of internal violence that has renewed fears of civil war. Abbas said polls should be held at the earliest opportunity, but appeared to leave the door open to his Hamas rivals by saying efforts should be made to form a government that could lift Western sanctions on the Palestinian administration. Internal tensions are at their worst in a decade after months of talks between the ruling Hamas Islamist movement and Abbas's Fatah faction on forging a unity cabinet foundered. "I have decided to call for legislative and presidential elections," Abbas said. Hamas rejected calls by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for early legislative and presidential elections on Saturday (December 16). "Nothing we are not going to participate or allow running election which is unacceptable. We are here running governments the governments will not arrange for any election and the central committee for the election should cooperate. If we are not going to cooperate there will be practically no election. We are advising the people to avoid these decision because if they are going to do it against the will of the Palestinian people against the government i think this will threaten the integrity of the Palestinian people." Azzahar told reporters at a press conference which he held in order to react to Abbas's speech. A senior Abbas aide, Saeb Erekat, said elections could not be held before the middle of next year for legal and technical reasons. He said Abbas first had to issue a presidential decree to provide a framework for the early polls. After that, voter rolls would need some 90 days to be updated. Abbas had earlier in his speech called for a political solution to resolve the crisis but made clear he had the power to sack the 9-month-old Hamas government, which has struggled to function under the weight of the Western aid embargo. Fatah activists in Gaza and the West Bank broke into celebrations when Abbas issued the election call, firing automatic weapons into the air. Hamas surprised Fatah by winning parliamentary elections in January. Abbas was elected separately in early 2005 in a presidential poll that Hamas did not contest.

ITN Source | December 17, 2006

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