By Xinhua,
Gaza : Islamic Hamas movement Sunday slammed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declaration that he would call for early elections by the beginning of next year if the dialogue between rival movements fails.
Abbas said in a meeting of the Palestinian Central Council (PCC) held in Ramallah that he would call for early presidential and legislative elections by the beginning of 2009 if the national dialogue and reconciliation fail.
Mahmoud al-Zahar, a top Hamas movement leader in Gaza told reporters in response to Abbas declaration that “Abbas has no right to decide a new date for holding the elections and he has no right to extend his presidential term.”
Hamas said that according to the constitution, Abbas will not be the president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) anymore after Jan. 9 next year, while the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) would temporarily replace him.
However, since the PLC speaker Aziz al-Duwaik has been in jail, Hamas said his Gaza-based deputy, Ahmed Bahar, who is also one of the movement’s leaders, would be the president for 60 days until anew presidential election is held in the Palestinian territories, according to the law.
Al-Zahar rejected the PCC decisions, saying “the decisions of the central council are not obligatory to Hamas. Hamas, which won the parliamentary elections in early 2006, is not represented in the PCC and in Palestine Liberation Organization.
He reiterated that his movement is interested in getting to the table of dialogue with Abbas and his Fatah movement, but only if Abbas security forces free around 600 Hamas members and activists of the movement.
Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in mid-June last year, and now is ruling the enclave, which suffers a severe humanitarian crisis due to a tight Israeli blockade which has been going on for more than a year and a half.
Israel has closed all Gaza crossing points early this month, in spite of an Egyptian-brokered six-month truce between Israel and Gaza militants. The closure of the crossing came following the renewal of violence between the two sides.