Gaza - The radical Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday rejected efforts to hold early legislative elections.

"We reject discussing the idea of holding early legislative elections because it will be an over-jump to the will of the Palestinian people and a replacement of the legally elected leaders through abnormal circumstances," said Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas leader.

In a statement, Radwan said that Hamas rejects "forming a technocrat government" because it would be "rootless and not publicly supported. Therefore it won't succeed to implement the Palestinians' national goals."

Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in mid-June of last year. It won the January 2006 legislative elections and ousted President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement.

"If we assume that early legislative elections were held in the Palestinian territories and Hamas won again, would the world's stance towards the movement be changed? For sure, it won't," said Radwan. (dpa)