Next Palestinian general election

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Palestinian National Authority

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Palestinian National Authority

Palestinian National Anthem Constitution President (disputed) Mahmoud Abbas (term expired on Jan. 9, 2009) Abdel Aziz Duwaik (assumed office on Jan. 9, 2009) Prime Minister Salam Fayyad / Ismail Haniyeh1 Present government Legislative Council Speaker Abdel Aziz Duwaik (assumed Presidency on Jan. 9, 2009) Current members Political parties Elections Presidential: 1996 · 2005 · 2010 Legislative: 1996 · 2006 · 2010 Governorates Electoral Districts Foreign relations Foreign Minister Fatah–Hamas conflict Israeli-Palestinian conflict Oslo Accords Proposed State of Palestine 1 On June 14, 2007, President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh's government and appointed Fayyad to form an emergency government. However, Haniyeh and Hamas maintain that these actions were illegal and that Haniyeh is still the Prime Minister. Haniyeh still exercises de facto authority in the Gaza Strip, while Fayyad's authority is limited de facto to the West Bank.

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A presidential and parliamentary election to the Palestinian National Authority is intended to be held on an unknown date, said disputed President Mahmoud Abbas on 20 November 2009.^[1] The presidential election was supposed to have occurred in early January 2009. Legislative elections were to have occurred in 2010.^[2] Reports in December 2008 had suggested that both elections would be held in April 2009.^[3] Had an agreement been reached between Fatah and Hamas, the elections would likely have been held on 28 June 2010 instead.^[4][5] In October 2009, Hamas announced that it would boycott the elections and punish anybody in the Gaza Strip who would participate in the elections or even in helping to arrange them.^[6]

[edit] Background

[edit] Electoral law change

In 2007, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah party unilaterally changed the electoral law^[7] from being half proportionally elected and half constituency/first past the post-based to full proportional representation.^{[citation needed]} He insisted he could issue the change by decree as long as the Palestinian Legislative Council was unable to convene.^[7] The move was seen as a bid to lessen the chances of Hamas, the rival party, in the next election.^[7] The Hamas party, which controls the PLC, declared the move to be illegal.^[7] Face-to-face interviews of 1,270 Palestinian adults in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, conducted from 6-8 September 2007 by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, showed 53% in favor of the change, with a margin of error of 3%.^[8]

[edit] Election date dispute

Abbas' term as president ended on 9 January 2009.^[3] Hamas has objected to holding joint elections saying the presidential election should be held in January 2009 and the parliamentary elections in 2010.^[9] The movement has also stated that Aziz al-Dewik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, would become president after Abbas' term ended until elections could be held.^[10]

Fatah meanwhile argue that elections should be held in January 2010 since the Palestinian election law calls for Presidential and Parliamentary elections to be held simultaneously 4 years after the date of the later. Since the Parliamentary elections were held in 2006 (a year after the Presidential ones), new elections for both should be held in January 2010.^[11]

In September 2008 it was suggested that Abbas' term would be extended one year or that parliament will be dissolved a year early in order to hold both elections at the same time.^[12]

In reconciliation talks held in Egypt in March 2009, Hamas and Fatah agreed to hold the elections by 25 January 2010.^[13]

[edit] Presidential election

Fatah renominated Abbas as their candidate for the next presidential elections in early June 2008,^[14] although reports in December 2008 suggested that he would not run for a second term.^[3] Rumours emerged again on 28 October 2009 of Abbas not running for another term,^[15] and on 5 November 2009 he publically announced he would not run for reelection.^[16] Mohamed Abutair has announced he will run as an independent candidate on a platform of 'Change for Peace in Palestine'. In December 2009, Mohamed Abutair met with the Secretary General of Fatah's powerful Central Committee, Faruq al-Qadummi, to discuss the possible formation of a unity Palestinian Authority Government with Hamas under his leadership, should he become the new Pesident.

[edit] References

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