Fatah, Hamas Report Conflicting Results in Local Elections
Al-Shoubaki: Polls Were 'Fair, Free and Transparent'
27/12/2004

Palestine Media Center - PMC [Official arm of the PA]
www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=1&id=761

81% of 143,921 eligible voters, including 49% women, took part in the
municipal elections in 26 communities in the West Bank Thursday, according
to the official results announced by the Palestinian Higher Commission for
Local Elections (HCLE) on Sunday. Chairman of the HCLE Jamal Al-Shoubaki
said the candidates ran as individuals and independents and refrained from
indicating their party affiliations, which led to conflicting reports from
Fatah and Hamas on their respective shares in the results.

Women won 17 percent of the 360 local contested seats. 800 candidates ran in
the elections.

Six of the candidates who won the voters' confidence are detainees in the
jails of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), Al-Shoubaki told reporters in
a press conference he held Sunday in the Palestine Media Center (PMC).

Confirming the elections were "fair, free and transparent," Al-Shoubaki
commended the "civilized conduct" of the voters, which contributed to the
success of the electoral process, he said.

The high percentage of participation (81%) "sends an important message by
the Palestinian people to the world, that the Palestinian people want to
live in peace and democracy away from the (Israeli) occupation," he said.

All Palestinian factions and parties took part in the polls with the
exception of the Islamic Jihad, which protested against holding the
elections in stages but announced it might reconsider its boycott to
participate in the following stages of municipal elections.

Hamas and other factions also protested against the phased process as well
as against shifting from the voters' registration lists to the civil
registrar of voters, but did not boycott the elections.

According to Palestinian effective laws candidates ran as individuals and
independents. Therefore Al-Shoubaki told reporters he could not decide the
partisan affiliations of the winners.

"Therefore we announce the names of the winners individually because the
elections was held on an individual basis and the voters voted for names and
not for blocs," he told reporters.

"It is true that there was competition among electoral blocs during the
campaign but candidacy was in names and accordingly we announce the results
in names," he indicated.

Similarly all three Palestinian daily newspapers, Al-Quds, Al-Ayyam and
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, on Monday avoided getting involved in speculations about
the partisan results of the elections and published the official results as
announced by Al-Shoubaki.

This left enough room for conflicting reports on the partisan results of the
polls.

The ruling Fatah party and the opposition Islamic Resistance Movement
"Hamas" announced conflicting reports on the results.

Some Fatah officials said the ruling movement won 19 out of the 26 contested
local councils; others said Fatah won in 16 localities. The Associated Press
said Fatah movement won a majority of council seats in 14 towns.

Hamas officials said the Islamic movement won in 13 communities.

Some wires reported that Hamas defeated Fatah in nine elections against 16
for Fatah.

Palestinian analyst Hani Al-Masri said that Fatah won 50 percent of the
contested seats and Hamas won 30 percent. The rest went for independent,
secular or leftist candidates.

In two towns, a joint Hamas-Fatah slate won, AP reported.

Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri suggested that Hamas was ready to
forge coalitions with Fatah. "The coming stage is one of development and
rebuilding our society, and we will cooperate with everyone to strengthen
our society."

The election was the first such municipal ballot since 1976, when municipal
elections was held for the first time since the Israeli occupation of the
West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967.