RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Election officials have released unofficial results for balloting in the West Bank showing that voters rebuffed candidates from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement in five of the 11 main communities.
Fatah had hoped Saturday's vote would revive its political legitimacy. Its relatively weak showing came even though archrival Hamas boycotted the election.
Election officials said Sunday that Fatah won local council majorities in the towns of Hebron, Qalqiliya, Tulkarem, Jericho, Salfit and El Bireh. However, in Nablus, Ramallah, Jenin and Tubas voters preferred independent lists dominated by Fatah breakaways. In Bethlehem, leftist and independent candidates won.
Officials spoke anonymously as results are to be released later Sunday.
The election was marred by apathy and a Hamas-Fatah rift that created separate governments in the West Bank and Gaza in 2007.
