Palestinian president sets date for elections
RAMALLAH. October 24. KAZINFORM The Palestinian president signed a decree on Friday calling for presidential and parliamentary elections on January 24, a move likely to deepen the rift with the rival militant Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip; Kazinform refers to China Daily.
Mahmoud Abbas' decree was expected after reconciliation talks between his Fatah movement and rival Hamas failed this week. A deal would have postponed the vote until June.
Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Abbas, said the president's decree calls for elections in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza. But it remained unclear how Abbas' faction intends to organize the balloting in Israeli-controlled east Jerusalem or in the Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Hamas promptly condemned the decision, with its spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri saying Abbas' government can't hold the elections in Gaza; Kazinform cites China Daily.
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