Two political analysts were unanimous in saying that delaying the legislative elections scheduled for May 22nd will affect the current Palestinian situation.

The analysts' speech came after threatening the Palestinian factions and electoral lists of the consequences of delaying the conduct of elections under fake pretexts or justifications, and away from the Palestinian consensus. 

 Mostafa Elsawaf, a political analyst and writer, said that the latest developments refer to the intensions of delaying and canceling the elections.

"Fateh movement is sure that the elections will not give it what it wants and Hamas is expected to win," he said.

"President Mahmoud Abbas believes that he issued the electoral decree. So, he is the decision-maker who can delay or not," he added.

Elsawaf thinks that the expected delay will not be for months. It will be for a year or even more; in preparation for canceling the elections under the pretext of the current situations.

He stated that if elections were delayed, everything will go back as it was before, and stressed that there are no other solutions for the Palestinian people or factions except the voting box.

"People should not be silent if the decision to delay the elections was released. If Mahmoud Abbas insisted on that, there should be a Palestinian position to find creative solutions to end this," Elsawaf said.

Al-Faqqar Swergo, a political analyst and writer, said that the possibility of delaying the legislative elections is high especially in wake of the latest events. 

"I have said before that there will be no elections outside the control of the Fateh movement and the Palestinian Authority as the results will be determined for the sake of the team controlling the Palestinian political system," he said to Safa. 

Fateh fears loss 

Swergo pointed out that Fateh's position seems to be out of control because of the divisions between its leaders.

He confirmed that the Palestinian factions should agree on delaying the elections, as the Palestinians' interest is the priority to protect the Palestinian political system and to avoid involvement in inner conflicts.

"If the national consensus was absent and the Palestinian factions rejected the raised pretexts and justifications to delay the elections, there will be a circumvention over legitimacy," he said.

He considered constituting a united national government agreed by the whole Palestinian factions as the alternative solution.

"If there were no elections and we made no efforts to constitute a national government, the Palestinian situations might get worse and the Palestinians will become unable to manage their affairs," he said.

He added, "this will give the Israeli occupation a chance to circumvent the Palestinian situation throughout waves of normalization."

Rejection of delaying the elections

Majed Hassan, a leader in Hamas, said that the talk about delaying the elections must frighten all the electoral lists, especially the main factions.

He said that the intensive media talk about delaying the elections confirms the existence of intentions to delay the elections under the pretext of Jerusalem, and called on the electoral lists and Palestinian factions to have a strong, constant position to reject delaying the elections for any reasons.

The electoral list "voice of people" warned of the consequences of delaying the elections, showing that the Palestinian people look for democratic change.

Source : Safa