Palestinians delayed municipal elections for three months until November, Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie said on Monday, in a setback to attempts to bolster democracy and fight corruption.
He said the elections, which were due to begin in August in the desert town of Jericho, would be delayed until November while the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) introduced changes to the election law.
Palestinian Local Affairs Minister Jamal al-Shobaki told Reuters that the postponement was procedural as the law needed to be amended to clarify whether mayors would be directly elected or chosen by the city councils.
"These are important procedural issues," he said, adding that amendments would also give women more opportunity to participate in municipal government.
The municipal elections, which would be the first since the Palestinian Authority took control in 1994, would cover 127 municipalities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and take a year to complete. Palestinian legislators have been pressing the leadership for a municipal vote to replace mayors appointed by the Authority and clean up alleged corruption in city halls.
Qurie said registering voters for a general election, which was last held in 1996 would start on September 4.
Palestinian officials said it will be impossible to hold long-delayed general elections until Israel withdraws its forces from positions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip seized after a Palestinian uprising began four years ago.
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