In The Name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful
An example to all of us..though threatened by the Western World..the Palestenians stood up high as we always say...
BERANI KERANA BENAR
ALLAHUAKBAR!!
Hamas Claims Vote Victory, Fatah Acknowledges
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Hamas supporters celebrate the group's victory in the Palestinian elections |
Additional Reporting By Mustafa el-Sawwaf, IOL Correspondent
GAZA CITY, January 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Hamas has won an absolute majority of seats in the Palestinian legislative elections, said a Hamas official on Thursday, January 26, , according to initial results, with the mainstream Fatah acknowledging for Hamas victory.
"Hamas has won more than 70 seats in Gaza and the West Bank, which gives it more than 50 percent of the vote", Ismail Haniyeh, who headed Hamas's list in the Palestinian elections, told Reuters.
Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesman for the faction, said Hamas won at least 43 seats in constituencies and more than 45 percent of the remainder of seats which are being elected via party lists.
The combined total would give Hamas's Change and Reform list 75 seats in the Ramallah-based Palestinian Legislative Council.
Of the 132 seats in parliament up for grabs, 66 were elected on a constituency basis and 66 via proportional representation-style lists.
"This is a victory of the Palestinian people who voted against the occupation (by Israel in the West Bank), who voted for resistance, who voted for a new political system based on political partnership," said Haniyeh.
Such results would put Hamas in a position to set the shape of a Palestinian government, he added.
The Palestinian electoral commission had no immediate comment but was expected to issue official results later on Thursday for the 132-member parliament.
On Wednesday, exit polls showed Hamas had won at least 53 seats and that Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas's Fatah, which has dominated Palestinian politics for decades, had got 58.
Fatah Acknowledges
Mahmoud Al-Zahar, senior Hamas official, said the group's Change and Reform list has made a breakthrough in Wednesday's vote.
"The Change and Reform list is advancing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip," he told IslamOnline.net.
"Hamas has won over all other runners in the polls."
Mainstream Fatah movement has acknowledged Hamas victory in Wednesday's legislative elections.
"Hamas has beaten Fatah in the elections," a senior Fatah official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Another Fatah candidate also agreed that Hamas had won the vote.
"They have won more seats than us in the legislative council," he said also on condition of anonymity.
New Government
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"Hamas has won more than 70 seats in Gaza and the West Bank, which gives it more than 50 percent of the vote", Haniyeh said |
The election results would put Hamas in a position to set the shape of the future Palestinian government.
"In the light of these first results, we will consult president (Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas) Abu Mazen and the Fatah brothers on the type of political partnership," Haniya said.
"We are also going to talk to parliamentary groups about the nature of this political partnership," he added.
One Hamas source told AFP that a decision on the movement's participation in the incoming administration would be taken "today or tomorrow" but would "probably be favorable".
The United States and the European Union have assured Israel they will not recognize any Palestinian government in which Hamas participates.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana warned on December 18, that if Hamas wins the polls, it will be "very difficult that help and the money that goes to ... the Palestinian Authority will continue to flow".
Two days before, the US House of Representatives threatened the PA that it risked losing US financial aid and other support if it allowed Hamas to contest the polls.
---A new light shines on the Muslim world---
According to preliminary results, Hamas won 76 seats to 43 for the ruling Fatah party, giving them a majority in the 132-seat chamber. The turnout was 77%.
PM Ahmed Qurei has offered to resign, and Fatah has said it will not join Hamas in government.
The Hamas win will pose a great dilemma for international efforts to restart peace talks with Israel, say analysts.
'Under occupation'
US President George W Bush said the poll was a "wake-up call" for the Palestian leadership, but he hoped Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas would stay in power.
He said the US would not deal with Hamas unless it renounced its call to destroy Israel.
| Hamas is an aware and mature movement... open to the international arena Hamas official Ismail Haniya |
"I've made it very clear that the US does not support political parties that want to destroy our ally Israel," he said.
But Hamas co-founder Mahmoud Zahar refused to renounce violence.
"We are not playing terrorism or violence. We are under occupation," he told BBC World TV.
"The Israelis are continuing their aggression against our people, killing, detention, demolition and in order to stop these processes, we run effective self defence by all means, including using guns."
Meanwhile Hamas and Fatah supporters clashed in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Shots were fired in the air and some injuries were reported.
The clash, which happened after Hamas supporters tried to raise their flag over the Palestinian parliament, was brought under control by police after about 10 minutes.
Arab concern
Election commission head Hanna Nasser said 95% of the votes had now been counted, and the results could still change slightly.
The 13 remaining seats went to smaller parties and independents, some backed by Hamas.
| A victory for Hamas is positive and unsettling at the same time Jarvin McCrafken, St Louis, US |
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will now have to discuss with Hamas the formation of a new government and the appointment of a prime minister.
Hamas leaders have said they want to open talks with other groups including Fatah about a political partnership.
Israel has said it will not deal with a Palestinian Authority which includes Hamas.
The BBC's Richard Miron in Jerusalem says the mood there is one of gloom, with the government staying tight-lipped, although some Israelis see the Hamas victory as an opportunity for peace.
Israel's Foreign Minister, Tsipi Livni, appealed to the EU - the biggest financial donors to the authority - to firmly oppose the creation of a "terrorist government"
European leaders echoed the call for Hamas to renounce violence.
"I think it is important for Hamas to understand that there comes a point and the point is now, ... where they have to decide between a path of democracy or a path of violence," UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will meet UN, European and Russian leaders on Monday to evaluate the result and decide how to proceed with peace efforts.
The BBC's Heba Saleh in Cairo says the Hamas win will also cause Arab governments concern and boost Islamist oppositions in Egypt and Jordan.
Observers praised the election process, with EU monitoring team leader Veronique De Keyser saying the poll was "free and fair under severe restrictions", referring to Israeli measures to limit voting in East Jerusalem.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Jerusalem says there is no doubt that the Hamas showing has transformed the Palestinian political arena.
But correspondents say Hamas seems unprepared for its own victory, and has not prepared itself to step neatly into government and assume immediate responsibility.
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