Officials said the PA elections were threatened by disputes within the
ruling Fatah movement. They said Fatah, divided between the old and young
guards, had been unable to agree on a list of candidates for the nearly 200
municipalities in the West Bank.
The dispute resulted in scores of Fatah members launching an independent
run for municipal office. Officials said some of the Fatah independents had
been in contact with Hamas for financial and political support.
"The national interest requires preserving what remains of the Fatah
movement, because even if Fatah wins the elections, it will lose the most in
the long term," former Palestinian Legislative Council member Hussam Khader
said.
The cancellation was announced a day after PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met
U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington. Officials said the two men
discussed the boycott by the Islamic opposition and the concern that this
would harm the credibility of the elections.
"I already fixed dates, but I couldn't fulfill it," Abbas told the
Brookings Institution in Washington. "Now, when we assign, immediately we
will go to elections — parliament and presidential — and I will be out."
The PA Local Government Ministry said Arab League states and other
allies called for a suspension in the municipal elections. The ministry did
not elaborate.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad boycotted the municipal election campaign and
called on their supporters not to vote. Fatah also failed to form a
coalition with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a leading
political faction.
The PA statement did not indicate when elections would be rescheduled.
Palestinian independents said they doubted elections would be held in 2010.
"This decision was unacceptable and harmful to the democratic process,"
PLC member Mustafa Barghouti said.
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