 | | That guy on the right? If he's not a homosexual, he should think about taking lessons. |
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party has cancelled its primary election across the Gaza Strip after armed men shot in the air at several polling stations, took some ballot boxes and destroyed others.
| Sounds like that democracy thingy still needs a bit of work... |
Fatah officials said in a statement that the votes cast on Monday would be nullified and the primary would have to be rescheduled. "The Fatah General Committee held an urgent meeting in Gaza this afternoon to evaluate the primary elections, and the committee decided to freeze the election due to the serious violations that took place during the voting process today," the statement said. The Gaza primaries were expected to continue the trend from earlier voting in several West Bank districts that swept away many of the entrenched old-timers, who controlled the party for decades and were seen as corrupt, and replaced them with young politicians more popular with average Palestinians.
| Yeah, I was thinking it might be al-Aqsa Martyrs' Gunnies, too... |
The housecleaning in Fatah is crucial to the party's hope of beating back a strong showing by the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, which has wooed Palestinians in part with its image as an honest group that will not tolerate corruption and graft. Parliamentary elections are set for 25 January, and Fatah spokesman Deab Allouh said new lists of candidates would have to be presented by 3 December. After the primary, Abbas will review the results and choose the candidates. |