Hamas accuses Abbas of blocking local elections to protect Fatah

assalam12 15/09/2016

Hamas accuses Abbas of blocking local elections to protect Fatah
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/09/palestinian-local-elections-suspension-hamas-fatah.html

There may not be a single reason behind the postponement of the local elections. Various motivations include the appeals against Fatah lists in some areas, especially in Gaza, which would have increased Hamas’ chances of winning the elections. Also, Fatah, which is plagued by internal division, may not have been encouraged to participate in the elections in light of Egyptian, Jordanian and Israeli pressure on Abbas to suspend them for fear of Hamas’ winning.

A former Palestinian minister well informed on the preparations of the local elections told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “Many Arab countries, namely Egypt and Jordan, have been pressuring Abbas to postpone the local elections and maybe to cancel them, if necessary. This is because their security reports confirm Hamas’ high chances of achieving an overwhelming victory. Cairo and Amman share a long border with the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and they do not want Hamas to have any political presence near them, should it win the elections.”

#Hamas

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