The 2005 Palestinian presidential election — the first to be held since 1996 — took place on January 9, 2005 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Voters elected PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas as their new President of the Palestinian Authority to replace Yasser Arafat, who died on November 11, 2004.

Ten candidates were registered by the Palestinian Central Elections Committee by the end of the registration period, with another two would-be candidates being rejected on eligibility grounds. Candidates had until December 15 to withdraw their candidacies. All of the candidates are from the West Bank.

The election was boycotted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the grounds that an election held under occupation can hardly be free and fair. In the Gaza Strip, where Hamas has its most supporters, it is estimated that about half of the eligible voters voted.

Irregularities

The polls and election faced additional problems due to the widespread blockade of the Palestinian territories by the Israel Defense Forces, though Israel said that it would do what it can to ensure that the election takes place. But in many instances Israel actively interfered in the campaign. Most notable is Israel's deportation of Mustafa Barghouti from East Jerusalem when he was going to hold an election speech there. He was also prohibited by the roadblocks from entering Nablus as well as Gaza. A similar treatment was given to Bassam al-Salhi , candidate for the Socialist Palestinian People's Party, who was also prohibited from visiting East Jerusalem. According to the news agency IMEMC , similar incidents was the rule more than an exception.

Many of Abbas' opponents claimed to be unfairly treated as Israel denied them entries to areas only Abbas was allowed to visit during the election campaign. Abbas was the only one allowed access to Gaza for instance. In Khan Yonis Israeli soldiers opened fire against a school used as an poll station and by roadblocks denied thousands of people to get to the poll stations. [1]

EU's Coordinator of Foreign and Security Policies Javier Solana critiziced Israel for obstructing the Palestinian presidential election. "We expected the Israelis to offer more facilities for the Palestinian election process but they did not live up to promises," he said. [2], [3]

Pre-election opinion polls

Initial opinion polling suggested that the contest would largely be a two-horse race between Mahmoud Abbas and Marwan Barghouti, who later withdrew. Most polls suggested that the two men would have been in a statistical dead heat. Details of polls conducted so far are as follows:

December 6

• Abbas 44% / Marwan Barghouti 46% (±3%) (Development Studies Program, Bir Zeit University)
• Abbas 40% / Marwan Barghouti 38% (±3%) (Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research)
• Abbas 40% / Marwan Barghouti 22% (±3%) (Palestinian Center for Public Opinion)

Candidates

• Mahmoud Abbas - Palestine Liberation Organisation. Former Prime Minister and current head of the PLO, endorsed by the Fatah Revolutionary Council on November 25, 2004.
• Abdel Halim al-Ashqar - independent.
• Alsaied Barakah - independent.
• Mustafa Barghouti - independent. A democracy activist and head of the Palestinian National Initiative. Not to be confused with his cousin Marwan Barghouti.
• Tayssir Khaled - Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
• Hassan Khreisheh - independent. Reformist speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
• Abdel Sattar Qassem - independent. A professor of political science at al-Najah University.
• Bassam al-Salhi - Palestinian People's Party
• Abdel Karim Shbier - independent

Marwan Barghouti, who is currently imprisoned in Israel after being convicted for a number of killings, declared his candidacy just before the registration deadline expired but unexpectedly retired from the race on December 12. With his withdrawal, Mahmoud Abbas was seen as the clear favourite.

Preliminary Results

After a 66% turnout and extended hours, Mahmoud Abbas won the Palestinian presidential election with 62.3% of the vote and challenger Mustafa Barghouti getting 19.8%. All other candidates polled in the low single digits. (BBC) (Guardian)

Preliminary reports from 10 out of 16 districts give Abbas 65% and Barghouti 21%. (AP), with no other candidate receiving more than 4%.

This election was observed by number of international observors included former President Jimmy Carter and U.S. Senators Joe Biden and John E. Sununu.

Final Results

Released by the Central Elections Commission (CEC) on 12 January 2005.

International response

US president George W. Bush said the election marked an essential step toward the goal of statehood and promised to help the new president in a renewed push for peace talks with Israel. [4] Abbas victory was also congratulated by Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, who called him up on phone. Palestinain sources say the two leaders spoke for ten minutes. Sharon also reiterated his call for the new Palestinian leader to invest efforts to end attacks on Israelis. [5] The EU has also praised the election. "It is a very important step towards the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian state," said European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso. [6]

External links

• Central Elections Commission (CEC)
• http://www.imemc.org/archive/pa-elections.htm - News reports from IMEC about the election.
• Angus Reid Consultants - Election Tracker