Palestinians Try Elections Again, 10 Years Later
- Municipal vote seen as referendum on Abbas’s 11-year rule
- Polls show discontent with Palestinian Authority in West Bank
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Photographer: Mohama Torokman0/AP PhotoThis article is for subscribers only.
The Palestinians are holding their first election in a decade in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, giving Hamas militants an opening to entrench their influence in President Mahmoud Abbas’s stronghold.
Risking a humiliating reprise of his Fatah party’s unexpected defeat in 2006 parliamentary balloting, Abbas has challenged Hamas to face off against his Fatah party in municipal elections on Oct. 8. The group -- labeled a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and European Union -- sees an opportunity to extend its influence beyond its Gaza bastion to Abbas’s West Bank base, a Hamas co-founder said.