JERUSALEM - An aide of Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Thursday revealed that there were "good, logical reasons" to delay legislative polls scheduled for July 17 throughout the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"There are good, logical, judicial and political reasons," to delay voting, Tayeb Abdelrahim was quoted as saying in an interview with the main Palestinian newspaper, Al-Quds.
"So far, the decision to hold the elections on the given date holds firm, but the (electoral) law has not yet passed a third reading, which creates a timing problem," Abdelrahim was reported as adding.
On April 20, the Palestinian Legislative Council approved an amendment to the electoral law allowing two-thirds of MPs to be elected by constituencies with the remainder appointed through proportional representation.
But the Palestinian executive returned the bill to parliament, demanding a complete system of proportional representation be adopted.
The parliament will also voted to raise the number of deputies to 132.
Abdelrahim said the fundamental law governing the Palestinian Authority, which fixes the number of MPs at 88, would first have to be altered before the amendment could be put into practice.
Abdelrahim also said the ballot -- the first Palestinian legislative elections since 1996 -- should not be held until Israeli troops pull back to positions they held before the intifada broke out in September 2000.
"Legislative elections cannot be held under occupation," he insisted.
Any delay, which must be ordered by Abbas, would be discussed by the various Palestinian factions, Abdelrahim added.
Some within the dominant Fatah party, to which Abbas and Abdelrahim belong, are understood to favour a delay, fearing that Hamas could make major inroads in the elections which the radical group is contesting for the first time.
Abbas however had made clear he was not in favour of a delay, which would also have been fiercely contested by Hamas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has insisted twice this week that Israel cancel its planned pullout from the occupied Gaza Strip should Hamas triumph in the polls.
05/12/2005 10:57 GMT