Local Elections in West Bank, Gaza Boycotts

Local Editor

Local elections are being held in the West Bank, the first Palestinian polls in more than six years.
The elections have repeatedly been delayed, and Hamas, that holds power in the Gaza Strip, is boycotting them.
More than half of the West Bank constituencies are not being contested.
Candidates from President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah Party, which governs parts of the West Bank, face independents and dissidents.
Meanwhile, the election is also overshadowed by widespread voter apathy and a general sense of malaise.
Loss of hope may keep many from the polls, along with an appeal by Hamas to its supporters to stay home.
"I'm not going to vote for anyone," said Mahmoud Imran, a 22-year-old law student in the West Bank town of Ramallah. "I no longer believe those politicians. I no longer believe they will bring a state or anything else."

Polls opened at 7 a.m. Saturday and were set to close 12 hours later. Some 515,000 registered voters in 93 cities, towns and villages are eligible, said Fared Tomallah, an election official. Voters pick slates instead of individual candidates, and results are expected by early Sunday.

Hamas is expected to announce victory if the turnout is particularly low. "Our supporters understand that we are not participating, and therefore we expect them not to vote for anyone," said Ahmed Atoun, a Hamas lawmaker in the West Bank.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org