Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that postponing the legislative election "is necessary for finalizing all the legal measures."

Abbas told reporters that the Palestinian election law has not been approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council.

He said there was no time, "therefore we found that it is better to postpone holding the election for a while until we conclude debate and finalize legal measures."

"After we finish debate and legal measures, a new date for holding the election will be announced," said Abbas.

Earlier in the day, Abbas issued a presidential decree, delaying the legislative election due on July 17.

Source: Xinhua