Palestine's Abbas issues decree for legislative, presidential polls

Ramallah, Jan 16 (IANS) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a presidential decree that called for holding the legislative elections on May 22 and the presidential elections on July 31.The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Abbas issued the decree on Friday night that sets May 22 for holding the legislative elections, July 31 for the presidential elections, as well as August 31 for the National Council elections.According to the WAFA report, Abbas issued the decree following a meeting here with Hana Nasser, chairman of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (PCEC), Xinhua news agency.The report said that the elections for the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the parliament of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), will be held on August 31 under the PLO's basic law and national understandings.Abbas called on PCEC and all other state agencies "to launch a democratic election campaign in all Palestinian districts, including East Jerusalem, and to initiate a national dialogue focusing on the mechanisms of this process".On Monday, Abbas had issued another decree that amended the elections law related to holding the general elections in the Palestinian territories. Issuing the decree was part of the preparations for holding the elections.The move was made after the Islamic Hamas movement addressed a letter to Abbas that agreed upon holding the legislative elections first and then the presidential elections.The last parliamentary elections were held in the Palestinian territories in late 2006, where the Hamas movement won a majority. In 2005, Abbas was elected as the President of the Palestinian Authority.
--IANS ksk/