Abbas calls for early elections

[cali]

Story Highlights• NEW: Palestinian president calls for early elections
• NEW: Mahmoud Abbas blames Hamas government for Palestinian crisis
• Hamas has said it will not agree to early elections
• U.S. aim is to ensure Palestinian president survives power struggle

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Saturday called for fresh parliamentary and presidential elections at the earliest opportunity.

But Abbas, in a speech broadcast live on Palestine TV, also said that in the interim period all efforts should be made to form a unity government made up of technocrats.

Abbas blamed the governing Hamas movement for a crisis that has renewed fears of civil war.

He called for a political solution to resolve the Palestinian crisis but made clear he had the right to sack the Hamas government.

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http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/12/16/palestinians.reut/

[Eugene]

1. Abbas aide says no elections before mid-2007 (Reuters)

Abbas aide says no elections before mid-2007
16 Dec 2006 12:04:18 GMT
Source: Reuters

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Early Palestinian elections will not
be able to held until the middle of next year for legal and technical reasons,
a senior aide to President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday.

Saeb Erekat said Abbas first had to issue a presidential decree covering the
early parliamentary and presidential polls. After that, voter rolls would need
some 90 days to be updated.

"Technically, the elections cannot cannot be held before mid-2007," Erekat
told Reuters.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L16790012.htm