Council election victories boost Hamas

THE militant Palestinian organisation Hamas made significant gains in council elections, strengthening its challenge to the ruling Fatah party’s monopoly on political power, initial results indicated yesterday.

The poll sets the tone for parliamentary elections due to be held in July and is seen as a litmus test of public support for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and his Fatah organisation. Running on an anti-corruption platform, Hamas captured the three biggest towns, including a sweep of all 15 seats in Qalqilya in the West Bank.

However, initial results showed that Fatah won 45 of the 84 areas in which polls were held, compared to 23 for Hamas and the rest for smaller groupings.

Leaders of both movements were quick to declare victory. Mahmoud al-Zahar, the leader of Hamas, said: "People voted for the Islamic programme, the programme of resistance, change and reform."

He insisted that final results would show Hamas had actually won in 34 areas.

"We have taken the densely populated zones," he added, pointing to Hamas victories in the large Gaza towns of Rafah and Beit Lahiya.

Tayeb Abdul Rahim, an aide to Mr Abbas, said the results showed that Fatah had staved off the Hamas challenge and "remained the biggest force on the Palestinian street".

However, Qadoura Fares, a former junior minister from Fatah, admitted that Hamas had made a strong showing and that the "results didn’t live up to our expectations".

Khader Abu Abbara, an analyst based in the West Bank, said Fatah could take satisfaction that it had avoided defeats on the scale of Gaza Strip municipal elections in January, when Hamas took nine of 11 councils.

"Abbas is trying to regain trust, and it seems people want to give him a chance," Mr Abu Abbara said. "They don’t want Hamas in power. Some people are afraid of Hamas being the leader because they want a secular society."