RAMALLAH, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas instructed on Monday to start contacts with Palestinian factions and powers on holding the legislative elections in the Palestinian territories, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Abbas designated the Palestinian Central Elections Commission's Chief Hana Nasser to start the contacts, WAFA said.
Abbas said that legislative elections will be first held and then presidential elections will be held after several months, in accordance with the official Palestinian laws and regulations.
He added that he gave instructions to the Palestinian government and all the concerned apparatuses to work together to ensure all the needed requirements for holding the elections.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Central Election Commission confirmed that it is technically ready for holding the elections, noting that it is waiting for the issuance of a presidential decree determining the date of the elections.
The Commission Spokesman Farid Taamallah told Xinhua that the election commission needs 90 to 100 days from the date of issuing the presidential decree to the day of holding the elections.
Islamic Hamas movement which has been ruling and controlling the Gaza Strip since 2007 and some other minor Palestinian factions oppose the gradual holding of elections in the Palestinian territories.
They demand that general elections must be held together at one time.
Abbas has held three meetings with Nasser since his declaration in Dec. 22 last year that the Palestinian Constitutional Court decided to dissolve the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and called for holding legislative elections within six months.
The PLC has been inoperative since the beginning of the internal Palestinian split between Hamas and Fatah in 2007 after Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip and the internal Palestinian division had started.
The last legislative elections were held in the Palestinian territories in 2006, where Hamas won the majority of the parliament. In 2005, Abbas won the last presidential elections held in Palestine.
Hamas and Fatah are trading accusations on who is the part that blocks and prevents holding the elections. However, the Palestinians are deeply concerned that Israel would prevent holding the elections in East Jerusalem.
