PLC: President Abbas's term in office ends by January 8, 2009

Monday October 06, 2008 15:40 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

The Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), decided on Monday that president Abbas' term in office ends officially on January08, 2009, therefore Abbas becomes an illegal president of the Palestinian Authority.

A PLC session in Gaza

Farraj Alghoul, a Hamas MP, said during the PLC's reading of a Hamas parliamentary bloc's report that the post of president Abbas will become vacant after January08, 2009, making clear that the PLC's head or deputy-head will take the post for sixty days until general elections are held.

Alghoul, who chairs the PLC's legal committee, asserted that the Palestinian constitution does not state that both presidential and parliamentary elections be held in the same time, and that if this takes place, the Palestinian basic law is violated.

" if the president of the elections committee doesn’t call for elections three months before the end of Abbas's term in office, the central elections committee shall take the lead and prepare for elections", he maintained.

The Hamas lawmaker believed that all calls for renewing the Palestinian President's term are baseless and illegal, arguing that these calls are not initiated by approved legal bodies.

gaza strip | palestinian politics | news report rami at imemc dot org