Fatah agrees to ally with other 5 factions to run in Palestinian elections: official

Source: 
Xinhua
Publication date: 
Mar 11 2021

RAMALLAH, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Fatah, a major faction in Palestine, has agreed to ally with other five factions to run in the upcoming general elections, according to a Fatah official on Sunday.

"Five factions have officially informed us that they are ready to ally with Fatah to contest in the elections in a unified list," Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Al-Ahmad said the five Palestinian factions are the Palestinian Democratic Union, the Palestinian Liberation Front, the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, the Arab Liberation Front and The Palestinian Arab Front.

He said Fatah is prepared to ally with all Palestinian factions and independent personalities in the elections.

But he said no agreement or details were discussed with the Islamic Hamas movement to be included in the alliance in one electoral list.

Meanwhile, Farid Toamallah, a spokesperson of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission, said the commission is waiting for a presidential decree to establish the elections court.

Tohmallah stressed the importance of establishing the elections court, considering it the only institution that receives appeals of any defect in the electoral process.

In January, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, also the head of Fatah, announced that the 2021 general elections will include legislative elections on May 22, presidential elections on July 31, and the Palestinian National Council elections on Aug. 31.

The last Palestinian presidential elections were held in March 2005, and the legislative elections in January 2006.

The internal Palestinian division between Hamas and Fatah began in 2007 when Hamas forcibly took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah. Since then, the Palestinian territories have been split into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Fatah-dominated West Bank.

Huaxia

Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-02/28/c_139773654.htm