Fatah said to aim for postponing elections

"The Palestinian Authority (PA) is likely to postpone the upcoming legislative elections in July in order to avoid a possible defeat by its main rival, the Islamic resistance movement, Hamas," IRNA reported.

The Iranian news agency said: According to several Fatah lawmakers, the postponement of the elections is already a forgone conclusion. Fatah MP Hatem Abdul Qader said the postponement, which is expected to be formally announced in a few days, had more to do with "procedural matters" than with "other considerations." "The executive branch of the Palestinian Authority is responsible for the postponement, brother (PA President) Mahmoud Abbas wants to postpone the elections on the one hand, and, on the other, is trying to blame the lawmakers for this decision." Abdul Qader told IRNA the postponement was already a "reality," adding that a re-designation of a new date for the elections wouldn't be possible before the passage of a new election law.

IRNA added: The Fatah parliamentary bloc, which controls 65 seats out of the 87 seats, making up the Palestinian legislative council, has proposed the so-called "mixed system" whereby a third of MPs are elected in accordance with the "proportional representation" system while the remaining two thirds are elected within their local electoral circles.

IRNA reported "Abbas is in favor of making the entire West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem one electoral circle. However, this proposal, say critics, would favor large parties such as Hamas and Fatah and militate against smaller groups. Hamas doesn't object to any of the proposed systems, arguing that the important thing was to hold a credible and transparent election to enable the Palestinian people to freely elect their representatives."