Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas saidSaturday that he will announce the date for the next general elections in the Palestinian Authority on October 25, providing the Fatah-Hamas truce is finalized.
"We will announce the date for the next presidential and legislative elections on October 25," he said at a Fatah RevolutionaryCouncil meeting, which took place in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Under Palestinian law, Abbas must declare an official election date three months prior to the vote, thus possibly setting the date of the next PA elections to January 25, 2010.
However, the elections may be pushed back to June if the rivaling Palestinian factions agree to the reconciliation agreement proposedby Egypt .
Meanwhile, Deputy Hamas PolitburoChief Mousa Abu Marzouk said that Hamas would need at least one more month before signing the deal.
According to Marzouk, the additional time would allow the Palestinian people to come to terms with the reconciliation deal following the crisis created by the PA's position on the Goldstone Report .
Hamas, he said, understands the "mood of the street," adding that meeting with Abbas at this time would be difficult, since the "street" is not ready to absolve him of responsibility at this time.
A Hamas delegation is expected to arrive in Egypt Sunday to relay the Islamist group's answer to the latest draft. Hamas is likely to agree to the deal in principle, but ask to postpone signing the agreement.