Abbas overhauls election laws to marginalize Hamas - Haaretz

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Mon., September 03, 2007 Elul 20, 5767

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Abbas overhauls election laws to marginalize Hamas

By The Associated Press

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday revised Palestinian election laws to favor his own Fatah party - his latest attempt to sideline Hamas since the group seized control of the Gaza Strip in June.

In a further snub to his archrivals, Abbas required all presidential and parliamentary candidates to recognize the Fatah-dominated PLO. Hamas condemned the moves as illegal.

Despite the bold moves to shore up his fractured party's position, Abbas aides admitted he would not be able to set a date for elections until he could assure that voting would take place in Gaza as well as the West Bank. With Hamas firmly in control of Gaza after a lightning sweep that removed Fatah-backed security forces in June, it's unlikely that will be anytime soon.

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After meeting EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Ramallah, Abbas warned that if agreements were not reached ahead of the conference, it would be a failure. Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have been meeting regularly and have begun tackling the core issues of the conflict, but no progress has been reported.

Tony Blair, the ex-British prime minister who is serving as the envoy of the Quartet of Mideast mediators, the U.S., EU, U.N. and Russia, will arrive Tuesday for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, ahead of a Quartet meeting toward the end of the month, Blair's spokesman said yesterday.

Focusing on his internal political challenges, Abbas yesterday decreed a change in the Palestinian electoral system to overcome infighting in his own party. In 2006, the system was made up of districts and territory-wide voting.

Hamas swept most of the districts because rival Fatah candidates canceled each other out.

Under the new system, voters will pick parties, not candidates, and the parliament will be divided among the parties in proportion to the votes they receive.

The decree also requires all presidential and parliamentary candidates to recognize the Fatah-dominated Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole, legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

Hamas, which is not a PLO member, condemned Abbas' decision as illegal.

"Early parliamentary elections are rejected ... and any amendment to the law is also rejected," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said. "Hamas objects to this policy of monopolizing decision making and will not deal with its outcome."

Barhoum said only the parliament, which is controlled by Hamas, has the authority to change election law. But Abbas said he now holds such authority since parliament is no longer functioning.

In Gaza, Hamas continued to hold nearly 60 Fatah supporters, including 11 minors, who were arrested on rioting and incitement charges at a protest on Friday.

Fatah has organized public rallies for the last two weeks to denounce Hamas' takeover. Hamas accuses Fatah supporters of trying to organize a violent comeback.

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