GAZA CITY, Aug 20: Mahmud Abbas confirmed on Saturday that the second-ever Palestinian legislative elections are to be held in January next year, paving the way for an electoral showdown between his mainstream Fatah movement and the Hamas.

“Elections for members of the legislative council in Jerusalem and all other occupied areas will take place on Wednesday, Jan 25,” the Palestinian leader said, reading from a presidential decree in a speech in Gaza City.

The formal announcement, which had been long trailed, is likely to radically alter the face of Palestinian politics which has been to date completely dominated by Fatah, the movement founded and led by Yasser Arafat who died in November.

Sixty-three of the 83 active members of the legislative council are members of Fatah, a legacy of the decision by most opposition groups to boycott the first set of elections in 1995.

Bolstered by its strong showing in recent municipal elections, Hamas has swallowed its opposition to the body which was created under the terms of the Oslo peace accords, an agreement which was rejected by the Islamist movement.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri confirmed after Abbas’s announcement that the movement would be participating in the January election.

“We are participating in the elections with the aim of serving our people and stopping the monopoly of the decision-making and putting an end to the corruption,” he said.

Support for Fatah has been steadily eroding over accusations of corruption and incompetence.

Some polls have shown support for Hamas in its Gaza Strip stronghold, outpacing that for Fatah although Abbas’s grouping is still ahead in the West Bank.

Hamas’s international reputation may be shaped by its deadly anti-Israeli attacks but its popularity among the impoverished Palestinians of Gaza is also largely derived from its ability to deliver basic social services where the Palestinian Authority has failed.

Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei has already asked Hamas to join a national unity government but that offer was snubbed, with observers believing that Hamas is looking to strengthen its hand in negotiations with a solid performance at the ballot box.

Hamas has been trying to portray the ongoing Israeli pullout from the occupied Gaza Strip as an act of surrender and a “victory for the resistance”.

“This is the day of victory of the Palestinian resistance against the Zionist occupation army and settlers,” said a statement issued Saturday by its armed wing.—AFP