The UN Secretary-General has welcomed the announcement from
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of the first full parliamentary
and presidential elections in 15 years, scheduled to begin in May.
“The holding of elections in the occupied West Bank, including
East Jerusalem, and Gaza will be a crucial step towards
Palestinian unity”, said a statement issued on behalf of António
Guterres on Saturday which would give “renewed legitimacy to
national institutions, including a democratically elected
Parliament and Government in Palestine.”
The last elections involving all the areas under control of the
Palestinian Authority (PA) - which has limited self-rule over the
Israeli-occupied West Bank, while the militant group Hamas
controls the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, and Israel controls
occupied East Jerusalem – was in 2006.
A year later, Hamas won at the ballot box in legislative
elections, and took military control of Gaza a year later,
ousting rivals Fatah, which continued to have majority support
across the West Bank, leading to a longstanding rift with Hamas.
Pressure has grown on Palestinian leaders to reconcile across
political and regional divides, according to news reports,
following the stalemate with Israel over peace negotiations, and
diplomatic agreements reached in recent months between Israel and
four Arab nations.
Restarting peace talks
The UN chief said he hoped that the planned parliamentary
elections in May, and presidential vote in July, would
“contribute to restarting a process towards a negotiated
two-State solution based on the pre-1967 lines, and in accordance
with relevant UN resolutions, bilateral agreements and
international law.”
He said the UN stood ready to support all efforts on the part of
Palestinians to be able to exercise their full democratic rights.
Mr. Guterres also called on Palestinian authorities “to
facilitate, strengthen and support women’s political
participation throughout the electoral cycle.”
According to news reports, Friday’s decree from Mr. Abbas’s
office has instructed the election committee and all “state
apparatuses” to begin the election process across the entire
Palestinian homeland. Hamas in Gaza, reportedly reacted to the
announcement positively, calling for fair elections and a vote
“without restrictions or pressures”.
