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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| PLO body urges Abbas to call early elections |
| 2007-06-23 |
| A key body of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) urged President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday to call early national elections, a move that would deepen his split with Hamas Islamists. Abbas, who dissolved the Hamas-led government after the Islamist group took over Gaza last week, convened the PLO’s key Palestine Central Council on Wednesday to rally support for a new emergency cabinet that has been welcomed in the West. The 115-strong body said in a final statement that it agreed in closed-door session that Abbas, who heads the PLO, should “secure appropriate conditions to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in the nearest possible time”. Palestinians vote separately for president - who can rule by decree - and the 133-seat Palestinian Legislative Council. The next elections are scheduled for 2009 and 2010 respectively. |
| Posted by:Fred |