The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Wednesday extended the tenure of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas until elections can be held, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an has reported.
"The Central Council [of the PLO] decided to extend President Abbas' term ... and extended the term of the Legislative Council under the Palestinian Basic Law until elections are held," Walid Al-Awad, an official with the Palestinian People's Party (PPP), told Ma'an over the phone.
Abbas' tenure expires on January 24 and Abbas had called for presidential elections on January 25, but the radical Islamic group Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, said it would not allow the vote in the Palestinian enclave until a national reconciliation agreement was reached.
Abbas has been president of the Palestinian National Authority for five years now.
The PLO Central Council also reaffirmed that the "door is open" for Hamas to sign an Egyptian proposal for reconciliation, Ma'an reported.
Hamas is not a part of the PLO, which is dominated by Abbas' Fatah party.
Abbas has repeatedly said he will not run for the presidency again.
GAZA STRIP, December 16 (RIA Novosti)
