Friday 11 June 2010

Fatah internal rifts foil municipal elections in W. Bank

Fatah internal rifts foil municipal elections in W. Bank

[ 11/06/2010 - 03:42 PM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- The unconstitutional government of Salam Fayyadh in the West Bank has, surprisingly, decided to adjourn the municipal elections in the West Bank scheduled for July apparently due to deep differences within the Fatah faction.

Sources in the West Bank close to Fatah faction pointed out that Fatah fears the process altogether might end into horrible failure due to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad boycott of the elections that would constitute a big blow to the faction's remaining popularity among the Palestinian people.

The sources also added that a number of prominent Fatah figures decided to contest the election as independent candidates in defiance of the faction's central council decision banning any member from running as an independent candidate.

Nevertheless, a number of veteran Fatah figures like Ghassan Al-Shaka'a decided to defy the decision and run for the municipal post in Nablus city as an independent candidate.

A number of Palestinian locals confirmed they even heard the shouting of Fatah leaders while they were meeting in a nearby office in Ramallah city to discuss the matter. "It seems it was a heated discussion", they said.

For his part, Palestinian political analyst Adel Samarah opined that the main reason behind the decision to adjourn the elections was Fatah's feeling that political atmosphere in the region, especially after the Israeli navy bloody raid on the Freedom flotilla, wasn’t running in favor of Fatah's.

Hamas Movement that enjoys sweeping popularity in the Palestinian street, and the Islamic Jihad Movement had refused the call for municipal elections before achieving the Palestinian national unity, explaining that proceeding with the elections would deepen the Palestinian political rift further.

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