Palestinian Legislators Call for Elections by Early 2003
Hanan Ashrawi, a prominent lawmaker, said a committee of legislators had made the demands after the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) began weighing reforms promised by the Palestinian president under pressure at home and abroad.

The start of moves to put Arafat's pledges of reforms into effect was a welcome signal for the United States and other international leaders who regard reforms of the Palestinian Authority as vital to hopes of refloating the peace process.

``Between now and the beginning of next year there should be legislative and presidential elections,'' Ashrawi told Reuters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The last election was in 1996.

She said the legislative committee had also advocated that the current government remain in place for another 45 days from Thursday and then yield to a new 19-member cabinet, down from the current 32, to be named by Arafat.

Ashrawi also said that the committee had called for an end to ``duplication and competition'' between Palestinian security services and that they should be subject to the rule of law. It also advocated an independent judiciary.

The PLC was also discussing steps to introduce transparency in Palestinian Authority decision-making and budget spending in response to a growing clamor over corruption, cronyism and incompetence that had contributed to poverty and violence.

Arafat responded to widespread pressure from ordinary Palestinians, Israel and foreign leaders by calling on Wednesday for elections and reforms, although he gave no specifics.

The statistics bureau said that holding elections would be an uphill challenge after 19 months of conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants spearheading an uprising against Israeli occupation in much of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

``The call for elections comes at a time of very difficult socio-economic and political conditions in the West Bank and Gaza,'' the bureau said in a statement on Thursday.

``At present, more than two-thirds of the population live in poverty and almost half the labor force is unemployed. Movement between Palestinian communities is totally restricted and security conditions are extremely dangerous.''
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-mideast.html