|
Trending Topics
|
Reforms Expected to Delay Palestinian Vote
(Boston Globe) - Palestinian elections to choose a president and parliament, originally scheduled for January, will be delayed until U.S.-led reforms can ensure that a free and fair vote takes place, senior State Department officials say. Palestinian officials were told of the U.S. assessment at meetings earlier this month in Washington, said Edward Abington, former U.S. consul-general in Jerusalem and a consultant to the Palestinian Authority. U.S. officials said the reforms needed before a vote can be held include: an independent election commission to oversee the vote, access by opposition candidates to free and independent media, a ban on the use of PA funds for any candidates, and a code of ethics that candidates and parties must sign that includes a pledge of nonviolence.