RAMALLAH, 9 January 2005 — Palestinians were yesterday getting ready to take part in a historic vote. PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas is expected to comfortably win today’s presidential election as Israel eased restrictions in the occupied territories.
As the ballot boxes were delivered to hundreds of polling stations across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, security sources reported that the Israelis were opening up checkpoints which had been closed to all but taxis for months.
Despite earlier threats to the contrary, there were no signs of troops in Palestinian population centers as the Israeli government apparently made good on its pledge to keep a low profile until at least tomorrow night.
The central elections commission reported that a curfew in the northern West Bank, imposed in the aftermath of a fatal shooting of an Israeli soldier, had held up the delivery of ballot boxes to a number of villages.
But Israel later lifted the curfew and there were no other reports of major obstacles to the ballot to choose a successor to the late Yasser Arafat.
Candidates were officially barred from campaigning yesterday, which was declared a public holiday. However cars could be seen driving around towns and villages urging voters to turn out at the polling booths in force.
Public opinion polls have indicated that Abbas has all but clinched victory, standing at least 30 points ahead of his nearest rival, independent Mustafa Barghouti.
That said, his supporters’ main fear is that large numbers of voters will heed the call of Hamas and stay away from polling stations.
An Abbas victory is likely to be the signal for a resumption of top-level talks with Israel, frozen since Abbas walked out after a short stint as Arafat’s first premier in September 2003. After returning to his base in Ramallah on Friday night, Abbas told reporters there was no option but to do business with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
“Mr. Prime Minister Sharon was elected by his people. We have no right to ask for that to be changed... We have no other choice but to sit with him and we will do our best to convince him of Palestinian rights,” he said.
Abbas said he would ask current Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei to head a new government and also voiced optimism about the prospect of persuading militant factions to sign up to a new truce.
He managed to persuade all the armed factions to halt their campaign of anti-Israeli attacks when he was premier, but the so-called “hudna” fell apart after seven weeks.
Ramallah-based analyst Khalil Shikaki said Abbas’ long-term chances of success depended heavily on Israel’s attitude.
Abbas was severely undermined by his ability to secure the release of no more than a few hundred prisoners and limited security agreements during his brief tenure as prime minister. “Based on what Sharon did when Abbas was prime minister in 2003, I’m not very optimistic that he will help him out,” Shikaki told AFP.
“Abbas will have to deliver 90 percent of the goods before Israel responds positively but he doesn’t have the capacity to deliver more than 30 percent,” he added.
Some 1.8 million Palestinians over the age of 18 have the right to vote. The polling booths will open at 7 a.m. today and close 12 hours later.
Hundreds of international observers are also in the territories to ensure the fairness of the election, led by former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard and ex-US President Jimmy Carter who met with Abbas yesterday.
Rauhi Fattuh, who is the caretaker head of the Palestinian Authority since Arafat’s death on Nov. 11, said that today’s presidential election would be followed by legislative elections in little over six months. “The parliamentary elections will be held on July 17,” Fattuh told a news conference in Gaza City.
Fattuh called on everyone to participate in the presidential election which he said would bring “stability to Palestinian society”.
The acting president said he would cast his ballot in his native town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Abbas is expected to mark his ballot paper in a booth in the Muqataa leadership compound which has become Arafat’s final resting place.
— With input from agencies
