RAMALLAH, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- A senior Fatah official said Thursday that Palestinian legislative elections may not be held as scheduled on Nov. 28, calling for comprehensive national dialogue before the vote.
Jibril Rajoub, secretary-general of the Fatah Central Committee, told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah that "there are indications that the elections cannot be held on Nov. 28."
"However, elections were and should remain our strategic choice and our path to governance," he added, stressing the need for comprehensive Palestinian national dialogue to reach consensus on the mechanisms for the elections.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree in July setting Nov. 28 as the date for legislative elections, with presidential elections to be held in the first quarter of 2027.
Abbas had previously approved amendments to the electoral law, including increasing the number of seats in the Legislative Council to 200, lowering the minimum age for candidates to 23, increasing women's representation and requiring all candidates to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
Hamas has rejected the amendments, saying they would reinforce what the group described as "unilateral" control over the Palestinian political system.
The last Palestinian legislative elections were held in 2006, when Hamas won a majority of seats in the Legislative Council. Subsequent tensions between Hamas and Fatah led to a political and geographical division between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In April, Palestinians voted in local elections in the West Bank and the central Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Balah, marking the first voting process since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. ■
