Fatah wins small victory in Palestinian local elections
The slight victory of candidates supporting Fatah in the local council elections appear to have boosted the morale of the Palestinian leadership and opened the door for elections in major cities. Will the Hamas leadership agree to that in Gaza?
Ever since his April 31 decision to scrap the legislative elections, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been under pressure to give the population some kind of say. In a move that is contrary to the Palestinian law, which stipulates that elections should be held on the same day, the Palestinian government decided to hold local elections piecemeal.
They were confident of doing well in rural areas, while they were worried about major cities. That thinking appears to have paid off for the PLO’s main faction, the Fatah movement.
