Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday asked the Palestinian Central Elections Committee ( CEC) to prepare for general presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 24 next year, Xinhua reported.
The Palestinian state-run news agency Wafa reported that President Abbas sent an official letter to Hana Nasser, chief of the CEC in Ramallah.
Abbas Friday had issued a decree calling on Palestinians for voting on Jan. 24. He said he was obliged to setup the date after Hamas rejected to sign on an inter-reconciliation pact.
Islamic Hamas movement, which has been ruling the Gaza Strip rejected Abbas decree and vowed to prevent holding the elections in the blockaded enclave if a reconciliation deal fails.
Abbas' Fatah party accepted the Egyptian-drafted pact, however, Hamas movement still had not accepted the pact, saying it has some observations that need to be discussed with the Egyptian sponsor.
Egypt is exerting efforts to reach an inter-Palestinian reconciliation agreement before Jan. 24 to avoid more split and division between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Earlier on Monday, senior Palestinian sources said on condition of anonymity that a senior Hamas delegation is scheduled to arrive in Cairo by early November to discuss the movement's notifications over the pact.
Egypt insists there will be no more debates or discussions after seven rounds of intensive dialogue between Fatah and Hamas, saying it is time now only to ink the pact.
Abbas asks Central Elections Committee to prepare for elections
