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News ID: 86520
Publish Date : 12 January 2021 - 21:19

Abbas Amends Palestinian Election Law

RAMALLAH (Dispatches) – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has amended the Palestinian election law after consultations with the Palestinian factions, a senior election official said Tuesday.
"Amending the election law is an important step before issuing the presidential decrees related to setting a date for holding the legislative, presidential, and National Council elections,” Hisham Kuhail, executive director of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC), told reporters in Ramallah.
On Monday evening, Abbas issued a presidential decree that amends the Palestinian election law on holding the general elections in the Palestinian territories, the official news agency WAFA reported.
According to the amendment, the parliamentary elections will be held first, months before the presidential and the National Council elections, Kuhail said.
The amendment also includes an increase in the quota for women’s representation in the Palestinian parliament from 20 percent to 26 percent, he added.
Meanwhile, Hamas resistance movement called for launching comprehensive dialogue to discuss preparations and mechanisms for holding elections, the movement’s spokesman told the media.
Abdul-Latif Al-Qanou said: "We need to carry out two serious steps to end the division and achieve Palestinian partnership – presidential decrees for the elections and launching a national dialogue to discuss preparations and mechanisms for holding the elections.”
Al-Qanou stressed that the elections "are considered the first step towards building a political system and bringing all the national parties together.”
The Hamas spokesman stated that his movement wanted to see all elections held together but gave up this condition along with others in order not to block the path of real Palestinian unity.
"In order to overcome the challenges facing them, the Palestinians have to unite and achieve successful democratic elections,” he concluded.