Abbas sets parliament vote date

Palestinian parliamentary elections, the first to be contested by Islamic militant group Hamas, will be held on January 25, President Mahmoud Abbas said in an official decree on Saturday. Palestinian officials had earlier said the vote would be held on January 21, but that date could have clashed with a Muslim holiday.
The elections had originally been set for July 17, 2005, but Abbas put it off, saying he had to resolve a dispute over voting reforms. Hamas accused him of stalling for time to overcome differences within his Fatah faction in the hope of staving off heavy losses.
Abbas has come under domestic and international pressure to set the date for elections in order to strengthen democratic reforms seen as critical to future peacemaking with Israel.