Hamas announces terms for new Palestinian elections

Hamas yesterday announced that it will only agree for elections to be held if they are for presidential, legislative and the PLO national council in parallel.

A senior Hamas official who also serves as deputy speaker of the PLC, Ahmed Bahr said Hamas hope this will renew legitimacy and rotate power “on the basis of genuine political partnership and agreements signed by the Palestinian factions”.

A member of Hamas’ political bureau, Khalil Al-Hayya, said during a local conference in Gaza that the movement refuses to only hold parliamentary elections.

“The president’s term has been extended for 14 years and needs renewal. Members of the current National Council have been appointed to the council and do not represent the Palestinian national situation,” he said.

Hamas: Holding elections goes against reconciliation agreement

Al-Hayya said that Hamas “is ready to hold comprehensive Palestinian elections immediately away from the policies of exclusiveness, exclusion and selfishness.”

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced on 22 December the dissolution of the Legislative Council and called for legislative elections within six months.

The last Palestinian parliamentary elections took place in 2006 and were won by Hamas.

On Sunday, Abbas met in Ramallah with the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC), announcing his support for providing all that is needed to hold new legislative elections “as soon as possible”.