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Hamas Rejects Legislative Elections Next Year

By The Media Line news agency

The Hamas movement has rejected all decisions and suggestions made at Sunday's session of the PLO's Central Council.

During the session, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud 'Abbas threatened to call for early simultaneous presidential and legislative elections as early as the beginning of next year if Palestinian national dialogue was not launched before then.

'Abbas further said he had offered Hamas a package of four items as the basis of an agreement, including the formation of a national government of consensus, presidential and legislative elections at a date no later than the end of next year, rebuilding the Palestinian security services on a professional basis and reviving the Palestine Liberation Organization on the basis of the Cairo Agreement.

The PLO's Central Council also crowned 'Abbas as president of Palestine, a title which was first given to the late Yassir Arafat in 1988, when he unilaterally announced the establishment of the Palestinian state.

"Chairman Mahmoud 'Abbas has 45 days left in the chairman's office. Then he will have to obey the legal, constitutional and national obligations, and call for presidential elections to be conducted as scheduled [on January 9, 2009]," Hamas spokesman Mushir Al-Ma'sri told reporters on Sunday night.

Hamas rejected 'Abbas' call for simultaneous elections for both the chairmanship of the Palestinian Authority and the Legislative Council. It said that in accordance with the Palestinian Basic Law, 'Abbas will not remain P.A. chairman after January 9, 2009.

According to the Palestinian Basic Law, the next presidential elections should be held on January 9, 2009, and the legislative elections in 2010.

Hamas also rejected the appointment of 'Abbas as Palestinian president, saying the PLO's Central Council was not elected by the entire Palestinian people, and therefore had no legitimate right to appoint a president.


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