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Palestinian Authority
At stake: President
Background
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - The former British mandate of Palestine was instituted at the end of World War I, to oversee a territory in the Middle East that formerly belonged to the Ottoman Empire. After the end of World War II and the Nazi holocaust, the Zionist movement succeeded in establishing an internationally recognized homeland. In November 1947, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the formation of a Jewish state.
In 1948, the British government withdrew from the mandate and the state of Israel was created in roughly 17 per cent of the mandate's land, with the remaining areas split under the control of Egypt and Transjordan. Since then, the region has seen constant disagreement between Israel and the Palestinians, represented for decades by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Wars broke out in the region in the second half of the 20th Century, involving Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
Israel has built settlements in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, where approximately 400,000 Jewish people live.
From 1987 to 1991, Palestinians organized what is now regarded as the First Intifada. Israel's defence forces, superior in force and equipment, successfully contained the uprising.
The Palestinian Authority is a semi-autonomous institution, which oversees the government in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and has control over civilian and security matters. The institution was established as part of the 1993 Oslo peace accords between the PLO and Israel. The Palestinian Authority is regarded by some as the starting point for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Before 2005, there had only been one presidential ballot in the Palestinian Authority. In 1996, PLO chairman and leader of the Fatah movement Yasser Arafat was elected with 88.2 per cent of the vote in a two-man contest.
From 2001 to 2003, two different peace proposals for the region were presented. An independent Palestine was considered the main provision of the road map for peace, developed by the United States, the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and Russia. A separate alternative for stability in the region, known as the "Geneva Initiative" proposed a Palestinian state formed on more than 95 per cent of the land Israel captured in the 1967 War.
In September 2000, Israeli politician Ariel Sharon—then opposition leader—visited a Jerusalem holy site, a gesture many Palestinians deemed as a "provocation." The event led to the Second Intifada.
The primary mode of the Palestinian terrorist attacks was the deployment of suicide bombers onto public buses or into restaurants. Israel typically retaliated with military strikes against confirmed and suspected terrorist targets. More than 3,000 Palestinians and Israelis have died during the uprising.
Sharon became Israel's prime minister in March 2001, and vowed to implement a series of security measures. In October 2003, the Israeli cabinet approved the army's plans for the construction of the West Bank security fence. The course of the fence, rather than its presence, was the main point of contention internationally. Instead of reinforcing the Green Line—the boundary decided upon following the six-day war in 1967 between Israel and its Arab neighbours—the fence protrudes into the West Bank at many locations.
In July 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the fence was illegal under international law, and stated that Israel was "under an obligation to cease forthwith the works of construction of the wall being built in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."
In December 2003, Sharon presented the "Disengagement Plan", which calls for the redeployment of forces along new security lines, as well as the gradual evacuation of close to 7,500 Israeli settlers who live in the Gaza Strip alongside 1.3 million Palestinians.
Arafat died on Nov. 11, 2004 in France. Former parliamentary speaker Rawhi Fattuh was sworn in as the Palestinian Authority's interim president. Former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas was elected to lead the PLO, another of Arafat's significant positions.
2005 Presidential Election
On Nov. 14, interim president Rawhi Fattuh announced that the election for president would take place on Jan. 9, 2005. The Central Election Committee (CEC) requested international assistance to conduct voter registration in some areas, specifically Jerusalem, which is home to more than 200,000 Palestinians.
Also on Nov. 14, three gunmen broke into a tent in Gaza City where condolences were being offered after Arafat's burial, and opened fire, killing two people. Abbas escaped unharmed, and denied that the incident had been an assassination attempt.
A poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion in early October 2004 found Arafat as the most popular presidential candidate with 44 per cent, followed by Marwan Barghouti, Mahmoud Abbas and current prime minister Ahmed Qorei.
Barghouti—who was convicted in an Israeli court and sentenced to five life terms in prison for his alleged involvement in deadly attacks by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades—is a popular figure in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Barghouti urged Palestinians to retain their commitment to the Intifada after Arafat's death, according to a statement issued by his lawyers.
On Nov. 15, the Hamas Islamic Resistance Movement called for local and parliamentary elections to be held at the same time as the presidential ballot. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zukhri said the faction is "opposed to any monopoly on power" but did not specify whether the group would field a presidential candidate.
The Israeli government believes Hamas is directly responsible for the deaths of 377 citizens in a variety of attacks, which include dozens of suicide bombings. The group's founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin was killed on Mar. 22—along with seven other people—in an Israeli missile strike.
On Nov. 16, the Islamic Jihad radical faction said it was boycotting the presidential election. Leader Nafez Azzem said the group has "our own priority to restore our land, which means a policy of resistance is fundamental to us. The elected president will have certain restrictions imposed on him. He will have relations with Israel and the United States, and consequently we are not going to participate in the election."
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades militant group voiced its opposition to Abbas becoming president, and pledged its support to Barghouti. Al-Aqsa member Zakaria Zubeidi said the faction would respect "whoever is the president."
On Nov. 25, lawyers announced that the 45-year-old Barghouti could run as a candidate in the election. Fatah's traditional guard had previously endorsed Abbas for president. The two men have expressed differing views on the uprising in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. While Abbas has publicly decried violence, Barghouti considers attacks on Israeli forces and citizens as "legitimate resistance."
On Nov. 26, Fatah officially nominated the 69-year-old Abbas as its presidential candidate after a vote by the faction's Central Committee. Fatah made it clear that Barghouti would not earn the support of the political organization in an eventual presidential bid. Party official Hatim Abd al-Qadir declared, "The door before Marwan is closed now, after the decision to nominate (Abbas). If (Marwan) runs as an independent candidate, Fatah will lose votes to other factions and this also may create divisions inside the movement." Later that day, Barghouti ruled out becoming a candidate following a meeting with Palestinian cabinet minister Kadoura Fares.
On Nov. 30, Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom said his country would "do everything we can in order to remove any obstacles that (Palestinians) might face in their preparations to have their elections."
On Dec. 1, Marwan Barghouti decided to enter the presidential race. Barghouti asked his wife Fadwa to register him as a candidate for the election before the deadline expired at midnight.
A poll conducted in November by the An-Najah National University put Abbas in first place with 24.2 per cent, but Barghouti was not an option for respondents. An International Press Center study—conducted after Barghouti first ruled out becoming a candidate—also had Abbas as the clear frontrunner with 40.5 per cent.
On Dec. 2, the final list of candidates was released. Aside from Abbas and Barghouti, the remaining contenders include Barghouti's distant cousin Mustafa—the leader of the Palestinian National Initiative—and university professor Abdul Sattar Qassem. Two other candidates represent established political parties—Bassam Salhi of the formerly communist People's Party and Tayssir Khaled of the socialist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Four independent candidates—long-time Arafat critic and acting parliamentary speaker Hassan Khreisheh, Abdel Karim Shbier, Alsaied Barakh and Abdel Halim al-Ashqar—complete the all-male list.
In early December, a survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research gave Abbas a two per cent lead over Barghouti. A poll by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion put the Fatah candidate ahead by 17.9 per cent. A survey by the Birzeit University Development Studies Programme had the jailed Barghouti in first place with 35.1 per cent, followed by Abbas with 33.4 per cent.
On Dec. 6, Fatah member Farouk Kaddoumi declared that Barghouti could face expulsion if he remained a presidential candidate, saying, "Any Fatah member who goes against decisions of the movement's Central Committee should resign and his membership would be cancelled."
On Dec. 8, Khreisheh withdrew from the race. On Dec. 9, Mustafa Barghouti said Israeli soldiers attacked him at a West Bank checkpoint between Jenin and Nablus. An Israeli defence official dismissed the claims.
On Dec. 12, campaign manager Ahmed Ghnaim announced that Marwan Barghouti would withdraw from contention. Qassem also decided to abandon his presidential bid.
A survey by the State Information Service (SIS) released in December put Abbas in first place with 53.4 per cent, followed by Marwan Barghouti with 18.8 per cent and Mustafa Barghouti with 8.9 per cent. A new SIS poll out in late December gave Abbas 61.8 per cent of the vote, with Mustafa Barghouti a distant second with 14.9 per cent.
On Jan. 3, 2005, Abbas endorsed the right of Palestinians to eventually re-occupy homes in Israel, saying, "They will eventually gain their rights, and the day will come when the refugees return home."
On Jan. 4, seven Palestinian youths were killed after the Israeli Army fired a shell in Gaza. Military officials said they were targeting masked militants. Abbas condemned the incident, saying, "We are praying for the souls of our martyrs who fell today to the shells of the Zionist enemy." Israeli deputy prime minister Ehud Olmert said the candidate's statement "is intolerable and unacceptable and it cannot serve as a basis for any future cooperation."
Polls by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research and An-Najah National University released in early January kept Abbas as the frontrunner, with at least 59 per cent of all cast ballots.
Voting took place on Jan. 9. Polling stations opened at 7:00 am in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. In the first three hours, roughly 30 per cent of all registered voters had participated. Election officials opted to simplify the process later in the day, and allowed voters to cast ballots at any polling station, and not necessarily where they registered. Voting time was eventually extended to 9:00 p.m.
Election observers reported only minor problems. Mustafa Barghouti demanded the CEC to investigate problems with the ink used to mark the thumbs of voters, and to rule on whether a full-page advertisement supporting Abbas in the Sunday edition of Al-Quds newspaper violated existing regulations.
A 10,000-respondent exit poll conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research suggested an Abbas victory with 66 per cent of the vote. A 5,000-respondent survey by An Najah National University gave Abbas 69.5 per cent.
Abbas declared victory during a Fatah rally in the West Bank, saying, "We offer this victory to the soul of the brother martyr Yasser Arafat and to all Palestinians."
Official results were released on Jan. 10. Abbas received 62.32 per cent of all cast ballots, with Mustafa Barghouti in second place with 19.80 per cent.
On Jan. 14, a bomb at the Karni terminal crossing in the Gaza Strip killed six Israelis. Radical groups Hamas and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. Sharon spokesman Assaf Shawin said the Israeli government was "severing all planned contacts with the Palestinians on all levels, from security to government leadership" until "they take steps against terror."
On Jan. 15, Abbas was officially sworn in as president. In a speech, Abbas said Israelis and Palestinians were "destined to live side by side and to share this land" and urged for a "mutual ceasefire to end this cycle of violence."
Two top Palestinian election officials—Ammar Dwaik and Baha al-Bakri—resigned over voting irregularities during the presidential ballot. Dwaik said "pressures and threats" from the Fatah campaign team to extend voting hours "lessened the degree of the integrity of the election, even though overall it was free and fair."
Political Players
President: Mahmoud Abbas - Fatah
Prime minister: Ahmed Qorei - Fatah
The president is elected by popular vote.
Legislative Branch: The Palestinian Legislative Council has 88 members elected in single-seat constituencies; 51 members are elected in the West Bank, and 37 members are elected in the Gaza Strip.
Results of Last Election:
President - Jan. 9, 2005
Vote% | |
Mahmoud Abbas - | 62.32% |
Mustafa Barghouti | 19.80% |
Tayssir Khaled - | 3.50% |
Bassam Salhi - | 2.69% |
Abdel Halim al-Ashqar | 2.68% |
Alsaied Barakh | 1.27% |
Abdel Karim Shbier | 0.76% |
Palestinian Legislative Council - Jan. 20, 1996
Vote% | Seats | |
Independent | 57.51% | 35 |
Fatah | 30.90% | 50 |
Palestinian People's Party | 2.93% | -- |
National Democratic Coalition | 2.25% | 1 |
Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA) | 2.04% | 1 |
Liberty & Independence Bloc | 1.64% | 1 |
Popular Struggle Front | 0.74% | -- |
Arab Liberation Front | 0.65% | -- |
Islamic Struggle Movement | 0.35% | -- |
Islamic Jihad Movement | 0.24% | -- |
Future Bloc | 0.19% | -- |
National Democratic Movement | 0.19% | -- |
Palestinian Liberation Front | 0.11% | -- |
National Movement for Change | 0.08% | -- |
Palestinian National Coalition | 0.08% | -- |
Ba'th Party | 0.06% | -- |
Progressive National Bloc | 0.05% | -- |
