Palestinians began voting on Thursday in municipal elections in the West Bank and Gaza, a ballot that marks a major challenge to leader Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah group by Hamas, whose popularity has skyrocketed since 2000 and continues to grow ahead of an Israeli pullout from Gaza.
Hundreds of Palestinians are expected to cast their ballots for more than 2,500 candidates in 84 municipalities in the West Bank and
Gaza. The Palestinian Authority has stationed more than 3,000 security officers around the Palestinian territories to ensure the election goes smoothly, as commanded by Interior Minister Nasser Yousef.
Palestinian media polls have shown that approximately 36 percent support Fatah, marking a four percent decrease from 2004. About 25 percent are expected to vote for candidates from Hamas, a rise of seven percent from last year.
Hamas, which has spearheaded a campaign of suicide bombings against Israel for years, won control of most municipal councils in the Gaza Strip during the first stage of the election in January, although Fatah secured control of seats in most towns across the Palestinian territories.
Hamas power growing
Hamas has gained power since the start of a four-year-old Palestinian uprising in 2000. The terrorist faction has boosted its support especially among Palestinians in Gaza, who want to mark a planned Israeli withdrawal from all 21 settlements in the territory this summer as a victory and a major step toward an independent Palestinian state.
The terrorist group also plans to challenge Fatah in a crucial parliamentary election this summer, marking the first time Hamas will name candidates for the ballot. A senior official for the group told the Associated Press that Fatah had proposed to postpone the elections until the end of the year in exchange for cabinet posts for Hamas, which rejected the offer.
Abbas fears Fatah will lose votes in the ballot as a result of a decade of corruption and mismanagement in the Palestinian Authority.
RSS
