In an address at his headquarters in Ramallah on Saturday afternoon, Abbas called new presidential and parliamentary elections without naming a date, but his aides said they expected these to be held by the summer. His announcement to end Hamas's rule after under a year prompted his supporters to jump up from their seats in joy.
Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said Abu Mazen had made history by choosing ballots over bullets. But Hamas accused Abbas of trying to topple its government illegally, and urged its supporters to take to the streets in protest. Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar of Hamas called it "a real coup" and vowed that early elections would not be held.
Copyright © 2005 Israel Broadcasting Authority.
Posted December 17th, 2006 by admin_huliq
