Hamas rejects municipal elections before unity deal

Islamic Hamas movement on Monday rejected a Palestinian government's decision to hold municipal elections in July, saying any election should not happen before Hamas and Fatah reach a reconciliation deal.

The Palestinian government based in the West Bank, led by Salam Fayyad, "has no right to call for municipal elections because it is an illegal government that did not obtain confidence of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC)," said Ismail al-Ashqar, a Hamas lawmaker.

Any type of elections should not take place before Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, which holds sway in the West Bank, reconciles with Hamas, said al-Ashqar.

"After the reconciliation, we can hold any elections, either parliamentary or presidential," al-Ashqar said.

Earlier in the day, Fayyad's government called on the Central Elections Commission to start preparation for municipal elections in the West Bank and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

"Accomplishing this democratic process is one of the basic factors to support the Palestinian National Authority (PNA)'s work and the government's plan to complete building the institutions of the (future) statehood," the government said in a statement.

In 2005, Hamas won the majority of the municipal councils in the West Bank. However, Fayyad's government dissolved the councils in the West Bank two years ago after their terms expired.

Egypt had tried to bury the hatchet between Hamas and Fatah, but its efforts came to a standstill when Hamas rejected an Egyptian proposal aimed at restoring the Palestinian unity.

Source: Xinhua