Palestinian factions call for elections by end of 2018
According to the statement, the factions deferred the choice of a final date for the elections to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
By ADAM RASGONUpdated: NOVEMBER 23, 2017 01:26Hamas cedes Gaza border crossings to Palestinian Authority control, November 1, 2017 (Reuters)
Fatah, Hamas and 11 other Palestinian factions have called for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections by the end of 2018.The factions’ call for elections was made in a declaration issued late Wednesday evening, after they met for two days of reconciliation talks in Cairo under the auspices of the Egyptian Intelligence Services.The last Palestinian legislative elections took place in 2006, while the most recent Palestinian presidential elections occurred in 2005.The factions called on “the Central Elections Commission and all relevant parties to undertake necessary preparations to hold simultaneous presidential and legislative...elections by the end of 2018 and to authorize President Mahmoud Abbas to set a date for the elections following consultations with all national and political parties and forces,” the declaration states.The factions also called for elections of the Palestinian National Council, the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization, by the end of 2018.Previous reconciliation agreements, which ultimately were not implemented, called for general elections to take place.The declaration on Wednesday comes as Hamas and Fatah are making efforts to reconcile and reunite the West Bank and Gaza Strip.In mid-October, Egypt brokered a deal between Hamas and Fatah to restore the Palestinian Authority’s governing authority over the Gaza Strip. Hamas has controlled Gaza since ousting the Fatah-dominated PA in 2007 from the territory.