Fatah supported Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's “paper on the elections” and refused to meet with Hamas or any other faction before the elections decree was issued.
Member of the Fatah Central Committee, Hussein al-Sheikh said that election is a right and a duty to promote democracy in Palestinian political life.
Sheikh asserted in a written statement that the President removed all obstacles before the polls to determine specific dates for the legislative and presidential elections.
He added that elections will be based on a basic law under the local, regional, and international supervision to ensure its integrity.
After the issuance of the decree, a comprehensive national dialogue between all Palestinian political factions will begin to ensure the success of the elections and formation of national partnership, said Sheikh.
However, he warned that the call for dialogue before the presidential decree means there will not be any result, adding that a “12 years of experience in dialogues and agreements proved this.”
Fatah Central Committee met to discuss the issue of the election, including disagreements with other factions and announced its support to Abbas's position.
A member of the Fatah Central Committee and its spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that the Central Committee welcomed the President’s call for legislative and presidential elections, affirming its full support for this invitation.
Abbas informed the Palestinian factions through a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) Hanna Nasser, Executive Committee of the PLO, and the leadership of the factions, his refusal to hold any leadership meeting before issuing a decree for the general elections.
Abbas agreed to a leadership meeting only after issuing the decree and stipulated that the election decree should be sequential, that is, holding the legislative elections first, followed by the presidential elections at a different time.
CEC said that its delegation, chaired by Nasser, met with the Hamas leadership in Gaza.
Following the meeting, Nasser said that the President’s political will to hold the elections and ensure its success is the same as that of Hamas and the rest of Palestinian factions.
During the meeting, Nasser discussed the President’s letter addressed to the Executive Committee of the PLO and Hamas politburo regarding the President's vision of holding general elections in the West Bank, including Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
The President also hopes the elections will consolidate democratic life and end the division based on respecting the results and moving towards full national partnership.
