The Electronic Intifada 12 January 2005
EI’s Arjan El Fassed visited Gaza last week to observe the first Palestinian presidential elections since eight years as part of an election mission of UCP, officially accredited by the Palestinian Central Election Commission. El Fassed visited some 10 polling centers in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, including Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, Jabalya refugee camp and Gaza City. Mahmoud Abbas (“Abu Mazen”) won the elections with 483,039 votes. His main challenger, Mustafa Barghouti, received 153,516 votes. Observers noted Israeli obstructions and a number of irregularities caused by the Central Elections Commission during the elections.
Posters of Mahmoud Abbas (‘Abu Mazen’), Mustafa Barghouti, Taysir Khaled, and other candidates filled the streets of Khan Yunis in Gaza. (Arjan El Fassed)
Palestinian voters line up, as members of the Central Election Commission check identity cards against voter registration lists earlier in the day. (Arjan El Fassed)
A Palestinian voter puts his vote in the ballot box as a staff member from the Central Election Commission steadies the ballot box. (Arjan El Fassed)
Palestinian voters and children in front of a polling center in Beach Camp, Gaza City. (Arjan El Fassed)
Staff of the Central Election Commission waiting to check voters at a polling center in Beit Hanoun in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. (Arjan El Fassed)
Staff of the Central Election Commission seal a ballot box at 9.00 pm at a polling center in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. (Arjan El Fassed)
Staff of the Central Election Commission at a polling center in the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, counting votes at 9.00 pm after the ballot closed. (Arjan El Fassed)
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Arjan El Fassed is a founder of the Electronic Intifada and lives in the Netherlands.