West Bankupdated 1h ago2 min read
Islamic Jihad Deputy Mohammad Al-Hindi Says Cairo Factions Agree To Postpone Palestinian Elections
Cairo faction meetings agreed to postpone the November 28 Palestinian elections. Official postponement announcement will be issued in coming period, date not fixed.
Cairo talks, election delay
Mohammad al-Hindi, deputy secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, told Al Jazeera that faction meetings in Cairo agreed to postpone Palestinian elections scheduled for November 28. Mohammad al-Hindi said the official announcement of the postponement would be issued in the coming period without specifying a fixed date, and he added that the Fatah delegation would return to Ramallah to follow up on what was agreed in Cairo.
Fatah spokesperson Abdul Fattah Dakhla told Anatolia that the Palestinian legislative elections will be held on the scheduled date unless the Central Election Committee declares an inability to hold them for technical reasons, or Palestinian factions agree to delay them. Fatah spokesperson Abdul Fattah Dakhla added that meetings were held in Cairo in the past two days with the Egyptian side and several Palestinian factions, including Fatah, to reach understandings on holding a comprehensive national dialogue, and he said, "the elections are on schedule" unless the Central Election Committee announces its inability to hold them or a unified national position is formed.
No decree yet, lists
i24NEWS reported that Mahmoud Abbas is preparing to postpone Palestinian legislative elections scheduled for November 28, and it said an announcement could come before registration for electoral lists closes on Sunday. i24NEWS said no replacement date has been set, and it reported that Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine support the postponement.
As of Thursday, October 8, nedaelwatan said no official decree delaying the vote had been issued, and it described postponement as pending upcoming meetings of the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Fatah movement. nedaelwatan said the Central Elections Committee announced receiving a new candidacy request for the list "Palestine for All," bringing the total number of candidacy requests to nine, and it added that the period for submitting candidacy applications ends on October 13.
Next steps and stakes
Xinhua said major Palestinian factions agreed during meetings in Cairo to postpone the legislative elections scheduled for November 28, and it said the move was expected to be referred to the Palestinian leadership for a decision. Xinhua reported that the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization is scheduled to hold a meeting to study the results of the intra-faction dialogue and to recommend postponing the electoral entitlement to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for issuance of a decree.
AP said Palestinian factions were discussing postponing legislative elections planned for November, and it quoted Islamic Jihad deputy secretary-general Mohammed al-Hindi saying that after meeting in Cairo, the factions "have reached understandings regarding the resumption of Palestinian national dialogue and agreed to postpone the upcoming Palestinian elections." AP also quoted Fatah spokesperson Abdel Fattah Dolah saying the party wants elections to take place but is engaged in dialogue with other factions on timing, in light of calls for postponement and "the difficult circumstances on the ground facing our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank."