Palestinian presidential election, 2005
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Palestinian presidential election — the first to be held since 1996 — took place on January 9, 2005 in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
. Voters elected PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas
as the new President of the Palestinian Authority to replace Yasser Arafat
, who died on November 11, 2004.
Seven candidates contested the election. Abbas won over 62% of the votes cast, with independent Mustafa Barghouti
coming second, on just under 20%, and the remaining candidates far behind.
The election was boycotted by Hamas
and Islamic Jihad
. In the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is strongest, it is estimated that about half of the eligible voters voted.
nominated former PNA prime minister Mahmoud Abbas (also known as Abu Mazen) as its candidate, despite his relative lack of popular appeal. Palestinian Legislative Council
member and Fatah leader in the West Bank Marwan Barghouti
, who was in prison in Israel after being convicted for a number of intifada
killings, suggested that he might run, inspiring considerable speculation about his prospects. He was seen as the only candidate who could hope to compete seriously against Abbas. However, his proposed candidacy met with resistance from Fatah activists.
After successive contradictory announcements, Marwan Barghouti declared his candidacy just before the registration deadline expired but then retired from the race on December 12 after discussions between his representatives and the Fatah leadership. With his withdrawal, Mahmoud Abbas was seen as the clear favourite, with Mustafa Barghouti
in second place.
Opinion polls before Marwan Barghouti withdrew his candidacy suggested that the contest would largely be a two-horse race between him and Mahmoud Abbas. Details of some of these polls are as follows:
Three other candidates who registered by the end of the registration period subsequently withdrew: they were Marwan Barghouti, Hassan Khreisheh and Abd al-Sattar Qasim.
. Despite Israel's assurances that it would do what it could to ensure that the election took place, in many instances Israeli forces actively interfered in the campaign. Among reported incidents was the arrest of Mustafa Barghouti
by Israeli forces and his subsequent expulsion from East Jerusalem
when he was going to hold an election speech there. He was also prevented from entering Nablus
and Gaza. Bassam al-Salhi
, candidate for the socialist Palestinian People's Party
, was also prevented from visiting East Jerusalem.
Many of Abbas' opponents claimed that they were unfairly treated as Israel denied them entry to areas Abbas was allowed to visit during the election campaign. Abbas was the only candidate allowed access to Gaza.
The election was observed by number of international observers included former President Jimmy Carter
and U.S. Senators
Joe Biden
and John E. Sununu
.
The European Union's
foreign policy chief Javier Solana
criticized Israel for obstructing the Palestinian presidential election. He was quoted as saying that "We expected the Israelis to offer more facilities for the Palestinian election process but they did not live up to promises."
http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=6594
Full results released by the Central Elections Commission (CEC) on 12 January 2005 http://www.elections.ps/template.aspx?id=55:
|Summary of the 9 January 2005 presidential election results
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|%
|-
|Mahmoud Abbas
- Fatah
|align="right" |501,448
|align="right" |62.52
|-
|Mustafa Barghouti
- Independent
|align="right" |156,227
|align="right" |19.48
|-
|Taysir Khalid
- Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
|align="right" |26,848
|align="right" |3.35
|-
|Abdel Halim al-Ashqar - Independent
|align="right" |22,171
|align="right" |2.76
|-
|Bassam al-Salhi
- Palestinian People's Party
|align="right" |21,429
|align="right" |2.67
|-
|Sayyid Barakah - Independent
|align="right" |10,406
|align="right" |1.30
|-
|Abdel Karim Shubeir - Independent
|align="right" |5,717
|align="right" |0.71
|-
|Invalid Ballots
|align="right" |30,672
|align="right" |3.82
|-
|Blank Ballots
|align="right" |27,159
|align="right" |3.39
|-
|style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total (turnout %)
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|802,077
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100.0
|}
At the end of polling, the Head of the CEC, Dr Hanna Nasir
, told the media that "Approximately seventy per cent of registered voters voted today ... While approximately only ten per cent of unregistered voters turned out."
The CEC had made enormous efforts to register all eligible Palestinian voters in the run up to the election, but almost a third of eligible voters did not register or were unable to register. In an effort to boost low turnout, the CEC made a highly contested decision in the final hours of polling day to allow unregistered voters to cast ballots using only their identity cards, which raised fears of multiple voting. A Palestinian election official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the changes came after heavy pressure from Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, which feared a low turnout could weaken Abbas. ("Abbas Wins Palestinian Vote in Landslide," Associated Press, 10 January 2005).
The day before the election the total number of registered voters was 1,092,407 according to a CEC press release. ("Central Elections Commission (CEC) Upcoming Presidential Elections: Facts and Statistics," CEC, 8 January 2005)
However, in a November 23 statement, the CEC explained: "The number of registrants on the voters’ list reached 1,111,868, or 67 percent of the estimated number of eligible voters, during the registration process conducted between September 4 and October 13, 2004. Of these names, 19,000 were removed from the voters’ list because the accompanying data was incomplete or the names were repeated on the list. With this adjustment, the number of registered voters decreased to 1,092,856." ("46% of Registered Voters are Youths, 46% are Women," CEC, 23 November 2004)
president George W. Bush
said the election marked an essential step toward the goal of statehood and promised to help the new president in a renewed push for peace talks with Israel
. Abbas was also congratulated by Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon
, who telephoned him after the results were announced. Sharon also reiterated his call for the new Palestinian leader to invest efforts to end attacks on Israelis. The EU also praised the election, with European Commission
president José Manuel Durão Barroso
describing it as "a very important step towards the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian state". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4160171.stm
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. Voters elected PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas , also known by the kunya Abu Mazen , has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket.Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally...
as the new President of the Palestinian Authority to replace Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
, who died on November 11, 2004.
Seven candidates contested the election. Abbas won over 62% of the votes cast, with independent Mustafa Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti is a Palestinian democracy activist. He was a candidate for the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority in 2005, finishing second to Mahmoud Abbas, with 19% of the vote.Barghouti was born in Jerusalem...
coming second, on just under 20%, and the remaining candidates far behind.
The election was boycotted by Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and Islamic Jihad
Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad , is a small Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel...
. In the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is strongest, it is estimated that about half of the eligible voters voted.
Early stages of the campaign: nomination and withdrawal of Marwan Barghouti
Two weeks after the death of Arafat, FatahFatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
nominated former PNA prime minister Mahmoud Abbas (also known as Abu Mazen) as its candidate, despite his relative lack of popular appeal. Palestinian Legislative Council
Palestinian Legislative Council
The Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority, is a unicameral body with 132 members, elected from 16 electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza...
member and Fatah leader in the West Bank Marwan Barghouti
Marwan Barghouti
Marwan Hasib Ibrahim Barghouti is a Palestinian political figure. He is regarded as a leader of the First and Second Intifadas. Barghouti at one time supported the peace process, but later became disillusioned, and after 2000 went on to become the main figure behind the Al-Aqsa Intifada in the...
, who was in prison in Israel after being convicted for a number of intifada
Al-Aqsa Intifada
The Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Oslo War, was the second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence, which began in late September 2000...
killings, suggested that he might run, inspiring considerable speculation about his prospects. He was seen as the only candidate who could hope to compete seriously against Abbas. However, his proposed candidacy met with resistance from Fatah activists.
After successive contradictory announcements, Marwan Barghouti declared his candidacy just before the registration deadline expired but then retired from the race on December 12 after discussions between his representatives and the Fatah leadership. With his withdrawal, Mahmoud Abbas was seen as the clear favourite, with Mustafa Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti is a Palestinian democracy activist. He was a candidate for the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority in 2005, finishing second to Mahmoud Abbas, with 19% of the vote.Barghouti was born in Jerusalem...
in second place.
Opinion polls before Marwan Barghouti withdrew his candidacy suggested that the contest would largely be a two-horse race between him and Mahmoud Abbas. Details of some of these polls are as follows:
- Abbas 44% / Marwan Barghouti 46% (±3%) (Development Studies Program, Bir Zeit University)
- Abbas 40% / Marwan Barghouti 38% (±3%) (Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research)
- Abbas 40% / Marwan Barghouti 22% (±3%) (Palestinian Center for Public Opinion)
Final list of candidates
- Mahmoud AbbasMahmoud AbbasMahmoud Abbas , also known by the kunya Abu Mazen , has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket.Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally...
- Palestine Liberation Organisation. Former Prime Minister and current chairman of the PLO, endorsed by the FatahFatahFataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
Revolutionary Council on November 25, 2004. - Abdel Halim al-Ashqar - independent.
- Sayyid Barakah (politician) - independent.
- Mustafa BarghoutiMustafa BarghoutiMustafa Barghouti is a Palestinian democracy activist. He was a candidate for the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority in 2005, finishing second to Mahmoud Abbas, with 19% of the vote.Barghouti was born in Jerusalem...
- independent. A democracy activist and head of the Palestinian National InitiativePalestinian National InitiativePalestinian National Initiative is a Palestinian political movement or party led by Dr. Mustafa Barghouti.Its formation was formally announced on June 17, 2002 in Ramallah on the West Bank, part of the Palestinian Territories, by Dr. Haidar Abdel-Shafi, Dr...
. His candidacy was supported by the Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestinePopular Front for the Liberation of PalestineThe Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organisation founded in 1967. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization , the largest being Fatah...
. Not to be confused with his cousin Marwan BarghoutiMarwan BarghoutiMarwan Hasib Ibrahim Barghouti is a Palestinian political figure. He is regarded as a leader of the First and Second Intifadas. Barghouti at one time supported the peace process, but later became disillusioned, and after 2000 went on to become the main figure behind the Al-Aqsa Intifada in the...
. - Taysir KhalidTaysir KhalidTaysir Khalid is a member and Politburo member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine , who was a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization until 1993, when he resigned in protest against the Oslo Accords. He was the party's candidate for...
- Democratic Front for the Liberation of PalestineDemocratic Front for the Liberation of PalestineThe Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist, secular political and military organization. It is also frequently referred to as the Democratic Front, or al-Jabha al-Dimuqratiyah... - Bassam al-SalhiBassam Al-SalhiBassam Al-Salhi is a General Secretary of the Palestinian People's Party and elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.He was the party's candidate for President of the Palestinian Authority in 2005...
- Palestinian People's PartyPalestinian People's PartyThe Palestinian People's Party , founded in 1982 as the Palestinian Communist Party, is a socialist political party in the Palestinian territories and among the Palestinian diaspora.... - Abdel Karim Shubeir - independent
Three other candidates who registered by the end of the registration period subsequently withdrew: they were Marwan Barghouti, Hassan Khreisheh and Abd al-Sattar Qasim.
The election campaign
The election campaign faced problems due to the widespread blockade of the Palestinian territories by the Israel Defense ForcesIsrael Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
. Despite Israel's assurances that it would do what it could to ensure that the election took place, in many instances Israeli forces actively interfered in the campaign. Among reported incidents was the arrest of Mustafa Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti is a Palestinian democracy activist. He was a candidate for the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority in 2005, finishing second to Mahmoud Abbas, with 19% of the vote.Barghouti was born in Jerusalem...
by Israeli forces and his subsequent expulsion from East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
when he was going to hold an election speech there. He was also prevented from entering Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
and Gaza. Bassam al-Salhi
Bassam Al-Salhi
Bassam Al-Salhi is a General Secretary of the Palestinian People's Party and elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.He was the party's candidate for President of the Palestinian Authority in 2005...
, candidate for the socialist Palestinian People's Party
Palestinian People's Party
The Palestinian People's Party , founded in 1982 as the Palestinian Communist Party, is a socialist political party in the Palestinian territories and among the Palestinian diaspora....
, was also prevented from visiting East Jerusalem.
Many of Abbas' opponents claimed that they were unfairly treated as Israel denied them entry to areas Abbas was allowed to visit during the election campaign. Abbas was the only candidate allowed access to Gaza.
Conduct of the polling
The election was marked by difficulties in accessing polling stations. In Khan Younis Israeli soldiers opened fire against a school used as a polling station and by roadblocks prevented thousands of people from getting to the polling stations. http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2005/Jan/week2/011105/solana.htm There were also some technical problems including those due to the incomplete electoral register. Persons not listed on the electoral register were permitted to vote on presentation of a valid identity card. Voting was controversially extended for two hours beyond the appointed closing time, apparently at the request of Fatah; the head of the electoral commission subsequently resigned in protest.The election was observed by number of international observers included former President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and U.S. Senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
and John E. Sununu
John E. Sununu
John Edward Sununu is a former Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire, of Lebanese and Palestinian Christian ancestry. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire six year term. He is the son of former New Hampshire Governor John H...
.
The European Union's
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
foreign policy chief Javier Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
criticized Israel for obstructing the Palestinian presidential election. He was quoted as saying that "We expected the Israelis to offer more facilities for the Palestinian election process but they did not live up to promises."
http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=6594
Results
Mahmoud Abbas won the election, with over 62% of the votes cast. 70% of those listed in the electoral register voted; however, over 30% of eligible citizens were not registered.Full results released by the Central Elections Commission (CEC) on 12 January 2005 http://www.elections.ps/template.aspx?id=55:
|Summary of the 9 January 2005 presidential election results
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Votes
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|%
|-
|Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas , also known by the kunya Abu Mazen , has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket.Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally...
- Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
|align="right" |501,448
|align="right" |62.52
|-
|Mustafa Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti
Mustafa Barghouti is a Palestinian democracy activist. He was a candidate for the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority in 2005, finishing second to Mahmoud Abbas, with 19% of the vote.Barghouti was born in Jerusalem...
- Independent
|align="right" |156,227
|align="right" |19.48
|-
|Taysir Khalid
Taysir Khalid
Taysir Khalid is a member and Politburo member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine , who was a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization until 1993, when he resigned in protest against the Oslo Accords. He was the party's candidate for...
- Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist, secular political and military organization. It is also frequently referred to as the Democratic Front, or al-Jabha al-Dimuqratiyah...
|align="right" |26,848
|align="right" |3.35
|-
|Abdel Halim al-Ashqar - Independent
|align="right" |22,171
|align="right" |2.76
|-
|Bassam al-Salhi
Bassam Al-Salhi
Bassam Al-Salhi is a General Secretary of the Palestinian People's Party and elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.He was the party's candidate for President of the Palestinian Authority in 2005...
- Palestinian People's Party
Palestinian People's Party
The Palestinian People's Party , founded in 1982 as the Palestinian Communist Party, is a socialist political party in the Palestinian territories and among the Palestinian diaspora....
|align="right" |21,429
|align="right" |2.67
|-
|Sayyid Barakah - Independent
|align="right" |10,406
|align="right" |1.30
|-
|Abdel Karim Shubeir - Independent
|align="right" |5,717
|align="right" |0.71
|-
|Invalid Ballots
|align="right" |30,672
|align="right" |3.82
|-
|Blank Ballots
|align="right" |27,159
|align="right" |3.39
|-
|style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total (turnout %)
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|802,077
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100.0
|}
Turnout
A total of 775,146 ballots were cast in the January 9 poll according to an official statement from the CEC giving the vote totals for each candidate in the election. (CEC Statement on the 2005 Presidential Election," CEC, 10 January 2005)At the end of polling, the Head of the CEC, Dr Hanna Nasir
Hanna Nasir
Hanna Nasir is a Palestinian Christian academic and political figure. He holds a PhD in Nuclear Physics from Purdue University in the United States. Nasser was a long-time president of Birzeit University, which his father, Musa Nasser, founded. He directed the school's transition from a community...
, told the media that "Approximately seventy per cent of registered voters voted today ... While approximately only ten per cent of unregistered voters turned out."
The CEC had made enormous efforts to register all eligible Palestinian voters in the run up to the election, but almost a third of eligible voters did not register or were unable to register. In an effort to boost low turnout, the CEC made a highly contested decision in the final hours of polling day to allow unregistered voters to cast ballots using only their identity cards, which raised fears of multiple voting. A Palestinian election official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the changes came after heavy pressure from Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, which feared a low turnout could weaken Abbas. ("Abbas Wins Palestinian Vote in Landslide," Associated Press, 10 January 2005).
The day before the election the total number of registered voters was 1,092,407 according to a CEC press release. ("Central Elections Commission (CEC) Upcoming Presidential Elections: Facts and Statistics," CEC, 8 January 2005)
However, in a November 23 statement, the CEC explained: "The number of registrants on the voters’ list reached 1,111,868, or 67 percent of the estimated number of eligible voters, during the registration process conducted between September 4 and October 13, 2004. Of these names, 19,000 were removed from the voters’ list because the accompanying data was incomplete or the names were repeated on the list. With this adjustment, the number of registered voters decreased to 1,092,856." ("46% of Registered Voters are Youths, 46% are Women," CEC, 23 November 2004)
Exclusion of Diaspora Palestinians
In addition to the low turnout among Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, Palestinians living as refugees and exiles outside the territories were excluded from participating in the election. According to UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees there are 2.6 million Palestinians registered as refugees with the agency making them eligible to receive services who lived outside Palestine, in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. An unknown additional number sometimes estimated to be up to one million live in the diaspora in Europe, North and South America and in other Arab countries. In contrast to the elections held in Afghanistan and Iraq, no effort was made by the international community to allow these exile communities to participate in the election, and due to Israeli restrictions the vast majority of exiled Palestinians were unable to travel to the Occupied Territories to vote or stand as candidates.International response
U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
president George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
said the election marked an essential step toward the goal of statehood and promised to help the new president in a renewed push for peace talks with Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Abbas was also congratulated by Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
, who telephoned him after the results were announced. Sharon also reiterated his call for the new Palestinian leader to invest efforts to end attacks on Israelis. The EU also praised the election, with European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
president José Manuel Durão Barroso
José Manuel Durão Barroso
José Manuel Durão Barroso is a Portuguese politician. He is President of the European Commission, since 23 November 2004. He served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 6 April 2002 to 17 July 2004.-Academic career:...
describing it as "a very important step towards the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian state". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4160171.stm
External links
- Central Elections Commission (CEC)
- News reports from IMEMC about the election
- Angus Reid Consultants - Election Tracker