Fatah calls for election to be postponed

THE Palestinian parliamentary election set for July should be postponed, a senior Palestinian official said in an interview published yesterday, another sign that the ruling Fatah Party is deeply worried about the electoral prospects of militant Islamic groups.

The election, only the second in the 11 years since the Palestinian Authority was founded, is scheduled for July 17, but Tayeb Abdel Rahim, a senior aide to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, called for a delay.

It was the strongest indication yet that Abbas might postpone the election, despite a promise to Hamas to hold the vote on time. Hamas rejected the call.