WEST BANK: Abbas wants to initiate change in electoral rules to disadvantage of Hamas

Record ID: 561978

  • Title: WEST BANK: Abbas wants to initiate change in electoral rules to disadvantage of Hamas
  • Date: 27th July 2007
  • Summary: (W1) RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (JULY 26, 2007) (REUTERS) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS ENTERING ROOM FOR INTERVIEW WITH REUTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "The inquiry committee which carried out the investigation will present the complete picture of what happened and will have recommendations. We will approve all of them. This has no related, our brother Mohamad Dahlan has resigned today and we have accepted his resignation and I called him to inform him of this." WIDE OF ABBAS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "We prefer that we tackle all the final status issues then declare for example a framework or a declaration of principles or announce a final agreement for we are ready for all three options. Therefore we prefer to discuss all the topics, the borders and other." WIDE OF ABBAS BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "We have spoken before about early Presidential and Legislative elections. This requires consultations with the Central Elections Commission. I have asked the Central Elections Commission to come and see me tomorrow. We will discuss this issue. There is another issue concerning the election law I think we will make some adjustments to the elections law according to article 43 of the basic law which gives us this right." (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "The elections will be based on the list and not the list and district, this we will make adjustments to (the law) but regarding the dates we will leave for discussion firstly with the central elections commission and then we will issue the decree." JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "Elections should take place in Gaza and the West Bank. We do not want to divide the homeland between Gaza and the West Bank. This is what we want and what we ask for we are seeking elections in both parts of our nation at the same time." CLOSE OF HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "As much as we and the Israelis are serious about reaching an agreement the more we could fulfil what President Bush said, and form our side we are very serious." ABBAS TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "We are doing our duty in the West Bank to control the security situation. We have finalised the first phase concerning the first phase, concerning the fugitives and they have voluntarily came to us and they will become part of the security forces. There is second, third and fourth phase when it comes to security and we are serious in imposing law and order in the West Bank." WIDE OF ABBAS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "There are two kinds of relations with the Israelis. There are negotiations which we hope will start today or tomorrow, there are talks on other issues which we call daily issues like the roadblocks, the prisoners and those in exile there are other bilateral and economical issues between us and them and that we want to tackle daily." VIEW OF ABBAS'S HAND AND FACE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "We have a long agenda concerning bilateral relations with the Americans, then regarding the implementation of the letter of President Bush specially when it comes to the economic side of things. Then the political issues which he spoke about and said he wishes to solve during his time in office." ABBAS AND ARAFAT PICTURE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS SAYING: "What the Arab foreign ministers have done is very good work. They spoke very clearly to the Israelis about the peace process and in particular the implications of Arab initiative. The Arab initiative which has become an Arabic and Islamic initiative which grants Israel recognition from 57 Muslim countries if it withdrew from the occupied Palestinian and Arab lands. This is what the Foreign Ministers explained. As for Saudi Arabia, it engineered the Arab initiative and gave it support. King Abdullah was very bold in launching this initiative. However, Saudi Arabia wants Israel to take steps toward the initiative in order for them to take steps." WIDE OF INTERVIEW
  • Embargoed: 11th August 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8H28B4XFNGVQY53INETKDCO57
  • Story Text: In an interview with Reuters Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gave no indication when elections will take place but said he will put in place a decree to limit the chance of Hamas consolidating the power they won in the last election.
    President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday (July 26) he will decree a change in Palestinian electoral rules that might make it harder for Hamas Islamists to maintain the parliamentary majority they won last year.
    However, pressed to say whether the early elections that he has promised would be held as soon as this year, Abbas told Reuters he could not set a date yet. Nor could he yet say whether he would run himself for re-election as president.
    In an interview at his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah, Abbas said parliamentary and presidential elections must be held simultaneously in the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- a condition that leaves the timing uncertain given the opposition of Hamas leaders who seized control of Gaza from Abbas's forces in June.
    "We have spoken before about early Presidential and Legislative elections. This requires consultations with the Central Elections Commission.
    I have asked the Central Elections Commission to come and see me tomorrow. We will discuss this issue. There is another issue concerning the election law I think we will make some adjustments to the elections law according to article 43 of the basic law which gives us this right," Abbas said.
    Abbas said that, after he has met the Central Electoral Commission on Friday, he will not only issue decrees setting early elections but also decree that parliamentary polls be contested only by nationwide party lists, scrapping constituency seats which were crucial to Hamas's victory in January 2006.
    "The elections will be based on the list and not the list and district, this we will make adjustments to (the law) but regarding the dates we will leave for discussion firstly with the central elections commission and then we will issue the decree," Abbas said.
    Under the existing rules, half the seats in parliament are allocated to parties according their share of the national vote and half are allocated to local constituencies.
    In January last year, Hamas narrowly defeated Abbas's long dominant, secular Fatah faction in terms of the national vote but secured twice as many seats overall as Fatah due to its much greater success in winning constituency contests.
    Some constitutional experts question Abbas's right to appoint a new government and amend the constitution by decree following his dismissal of the Hamas-led government in the wake of the rift with Gaza. Some say he needs parliamentary approval.
    Fatah leaders argue that parliament has ceased to function, partly as a result of Israel's jailing of about half of the Hamas lawmakers and partly through boycotts by rival blocs.
    Abbas said he could issue the decrees on elections next week. Voting is not scheduled until 2010 and some critics note that the Basic Law has no provision for calling early elections.
    Asked if he could say whether voting could take place as early as this year, Abbas said: "No I can't give any dates now."
    Asked whether voting could take place in the West Bank while leaving an election in Gaza aside or holding it over for later, he said: "Elections should take place in Gaza and the West Bank. We do not want to divide the homeland between Gaza and the West Bank. This is what we want and what we ask for we are seeking elections in both parts of our nation at the same time."
    Aides to the president, who took power on the death of Yasser Arafat in 2005, say he makes little secret of not wishing to prolong his own mandate.
    However, asked if he would seek re-election, he said: "It is too early to say."
    Asked if he felt that was possible before U.S. President George W. Bush steps down in 18 months -- as Bush himself hopes -- Abbas said that depended on direct talks with Israel.
    "As much as we and the Israelis are serious about reaching an agreement the more we could fulfil what President Bush said, and form our side we are very serious," Abbas said.
    He welcomed what he called a new "seriousness" on the part of Israel but stressed Palestinians still wanted to negotiate all key matters, the "final status" issues, as a package.
    "We have heard a position in the media," he said, referring to Israeli officials' suggestions that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert might seek a "declaration of principles" on such issues as national borders before a final agreement on matters such as the status of Jerusalem and the rights of Palestinian refugees.
    "There are two kinds of relations with the Israelis. There are negotiations which we hope will start today or tomorrow, there are talks on other issues which we call daily issues like the roadblocks, the prisoners and those in exile there are other bilateral and economical issues between us and them and that we want to tackle daily," Abbas answered.
    Of a possibility of negotiating over final status issues Abbas said: "We prefer that we tackle all the final status issues then declare for example a framework or a declaration of principles or announce a final agreement for we are ready for all three options. Therefore we prefer to discuss all the topics, the borders and other."
    Commenting on the Jordanian and Egyptian Foreign Ministers visit to Israel Abbas saw a positive step in this, explaining that the Arab Foreign Ministers represent the Arab League and have explained to the Israelis the implications of accepting the Arab peace initiative.
    "What the Arab foreign ministers have done is very good work. They spoke very clearly to the Israelis about the peace process and in particular the implications of Arab initiative. The Arab initiative which has become an Arabic and Islamic initiative which grants Israel recognition from 57 Muslim countries if it withdrew from the occupied Palestinian and Arab lands. This is what the Foreign Ministers explained. As for Saudi Arabia, it engineered the Arab initiative and gave it support. King Abdullah was very bold in launching this initiative. However, Saudi Arabia wants Israel to take steps toward the initiative in order for them to take steps," Abbas said.
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