Hamas General Shura Council Rules Out Postponement of Internal Elections

A Palestinian man shows his ink-stained finger after casting his ballot at a polling station during municipal elections, Yatta, West Bank, May 13, 2017. Photo by REUTERS/Ammar Awad.
A Palestinian man shows his ink-stained finger after casting his ballot at a polling station during municipal elections, Yatta, West Bank, May 13, 2017. Photo by REUTERS/Ammar Awad.
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Hamas General Shura Council Rules Out Postponement of Internal Elections

A Palestinian man shows his ink-stained finger after casting his ballot at a polling station during municipal elections, Yatta, West Bank, May 13, 2017. Photo by REUTERS/Ammar Awad.
A Palestinian man shows his ink-stained finger after casting his ballot at a polling station during municipal elections, Yatta, West Bank, May 13, 2017. Photo by REUTERS/Ammar Awad.

The suggestion to postpone the internal elections of Hamas was turned down by the Hamas General Shura Council, a Hamas source familiar with the matter said.

However, it was agreed to wait for the outcome of the Palestinian factions’ meeting in Cairo.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that there are two standpoints in the movement. The first urges holding the general elections prior to the internal elections while the second insists on holding the elections on time (it usually starts in January and ends in April).

The current leadership of Hamas was chosen in 2017, yet this year’s elections witness strong competition with high potential of the return of former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to the competition. Hamas' political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, though, remains among the top candidates to keep their posts.

Internal Hamas elections take place every four years. The election process spans some months and involves the movement’s various local politburos, representing Hamas members in Gaza, the West Bank, the Diaspora as well as Israeli prisons.

Local members choose their leadership, which in turn elects a general Shura council. The central politburo is then elected by the general Shura council.

Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad wrote that Hamas has been holding regular and conventional elections for years, resulting in several successive political leaders and authorities. Yet, it didn’t break the routine or introduce radical changes on the organizational level or on the level of reforming the general national status.

He added that most often, the elections become a carbon copy by which the same leaders are elected and the organization's activities are not witnessing any tangible change.



Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)

Sudan's army-aligned administration lashed out Monday at what it called Kenya's "irresponsible and hostile" support for efforts by Khartoum's paramilitary rivals to form a parallel government.

Since April 2023, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, once allies, have been locked in a power struggle that has dragged the country into war.

Late Saturday, the RSF and a coalition of political and armed groups signed in Nairobi a charter that would pave the way for a "peace and unity" government in rebel-held areas, with Kenya's foreign minister later saying the proposed administration would restore "democratic governance" in Sudan.

Sudan's foreign ministry condemned the "dangerous precedent" on Monday, saying that "in a grave threat to regional security and peace, the Kenyan leadership has adopted the parallel government that the genocidal militia and its followers intend to declare in some of the remaining pockets under their control".

The government, it added, would take "the necessary steps to respond to this irresponsible and hostile behavior".

Those steps appeared to be taking shape Monday, with foreign ministry undersecretary Hussein Al-Amin Al-Fadil telling a press conference in Port Sudan that "measures against Kenya are escalating, and there are arrangements for economic measures, including a ban on importing Kenyan products".

He also said Sudan was in the process of withdrawing its ambassador from Nairobi and would file a complaint against Kenya through regional and international channels.

Among the signatories of the charter was a faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which controls parts of the southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The United Nations warned that the signing of the charter would "increase the fragmentation" of the war-torn country.

But in a post on X on Sunday, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi called the charter "a peace agreement", describing the proposed administration as a "a unity government" that would restore "peace, stability, and democratic governance in Sudan".

In its statement, Khartoum accused Nairobi of creating a "false facade for the militia to directly obtain weapons", while "relieving regional sponsors of some embarrassment".

The foreign ministry said that this "would expand the scope of war and prolong its duration" and warned of potential damage to bilateral ties with Kenya.

Fadil said Monday that Kenyan President William Ruto "has known personal interests with the militia leader and its sponsors, and is betting on losing cards".

Saturday's signing of the charter comes as the army and its allied factions are making advances against the RSF in the capital Khartoum and in central Sudan.

The war in Sudan, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, erupted after a rift emerged between Burhan and Daglo over the future structure of the government.

The war has triggered the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.

Both warring sides face accusations of committing grave atrocities against civilians, with their leaders sanctioned by the US.