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.