Today, Dr. Rafiq al-Husseini sent a letter to Mr. Jihad Hamdan, President of the Civil Service Bureau, requesting the removal of the names of candidates, running for the PLC elections, who hold positions in the ministries and public universities from the civil service register.
This demand was based on Article 11 of the Elections Law No. 9 of 2005 and upon the directives of President Mahmoud Abbas. In his letter, a copy of which was sent to the CEC, Dr. Husseini appealed to all competent authorities to discontinue salaries and prohibit the individuals concerned from resuming their posts except through lawful contest. Dr. Husseini emphasized that any action that stands in contradiction to the law, such as the taking of a vacation or submission of a letter of resignation without formal resignation, is unacceptable.
According to Elections Law No. 9 of 2005, people holding government positions are not permitted to nominate themselves unless they resign from their posts prior to the announcement of the final list of candidates. Candidates have the right to apply to a vacancy in the civil service, however, their re-employment is subject to the law and applicants must comply with the requirements detailed above.