PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS: ELECTION DAY

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000348 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MUSTAFA E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2016 TAGS: PREL ASEC IS KDEM KPAL KWBG PBTS PGOV SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS: ELECTION DAY SITREP #5 AS OF 9:00 PM, JANUARY 25 2006 REF: A. JERUSALEM 338 ¶B. JERUSALEM 324 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) As of 9:00 pm local time, Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections continued to go smoothly in most areas, with nearly 81 percent voter turnout in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after over 12 hours of voting. The CEC determined that there would not be an overall extension of the voting hours, although some polling places remained open after 7:00 p.m. to accomodate those already in line. The GOI agreed to allow polling hours to be extended for two hours at the Salah ad Din Post Office in Jerusalem. Reports of violence remained sporadic, with two reports gunmen at polling stations in Gaza and another of a PASF shooting of a Hamas activist near Hebron. End Summary. -------------- Sporadic Violence Continues -------------- ¶2. (C) Samir Efrangi, official with the Gaza Interior Ministry, confirmed that two armed gunmen entered the Al Aubeh School polling station in Jabalahya Refugee Camp in Gaza and attempted to seize the ballot boxes. Police and voters blocked the men and the ballot boxes were never at risk. In Gaza City, at the Asad Alsasatawy polling station, gunmen from Hamas were reported to have surrounded the polling station and were threatening to break in. Police are enroute. In Halhul, Hamas activist Mahmound Emmamyer was shot in the leg by PASF personnel after he stormed into a vote counting center near Hebron wielding a knife and attempting to disrupt the post election process. -------------- General Election Points -------------- ¶3. (C) According to POL FSN, by 8:30 pm, more than 81 percent of all eligible voters had voted. All USG election monitors have reported that polling station staff were well trained, professional, and polite toward voters and visitors. Polling stations were identically laid out in diverse areas, and polling workers spontaneously reached out to voters who showed any difficulties. Polling stations were marked with "no weapons" and "no cell phone" posters; the latter could help in keeping rumors and leaks suppressed during the vote 
counting process. -------------- Voting Irregularity Reports -------------- ¶4. (C) There are press reports of Hamas claiming campaign violations, including accusations that PASF forces have voted again in today's elections, after having previously voted last weekend. Hamas claims to have evidence of PASF double voting in Nablus, Bethlehem, and Ramallah. Hamas activists released a statement accusing Fatah of election irregularities after CEC officials announced that Jerusalem polling centers would be kept open an extra two hours. Hamas officials said the accommodation was part of an attempt to facilitate the alleged double voting by PASF personnel. -------------- Jerusalem Voting -------------- ¶5. (C) PolOff reported that voting went calmly in Jerusalem as well, with good turnout at most polling stations. In Shu'fat, more than 275 of 550 eligible voters cast ballots, and by 6:15 pm, only one or two people were still waiting to vote. The turnout was higher in Beit Hanina, a Fatah stronghold, with more than 400 of 550 eligible voters voting. By 6:30 pm, lines were still seven or eight people deep waiting to vote. More than 1500 of 3550 eligible voters had voted at the Salah ad Din Post Office polling station by the time the polls there closed at 9 pm. Throughout the Jerusalem polling stations, those people in line at 7 pm were being permitted to vote while poll workers. By the time all polls had closed, 3025 of 6300 eligible voters in Jerusalem had voted, with another 150 voters having been turned away from Salah ad Din because they did not have the proper card to vote there. NDI observers plan to escort the voting boxes to the CEC office in A'Ram. -------------- Media Reports -------------- ¶6. (SBU) All of the major pan-Arab satellite stations, the Palestinian TV and local Ma'an TV Network (which consists of 11 independent TV stations) continued to carry live election coverage. Al-Jazeera, Al- Arabiya and Ma'an are running coverage from special Ramallah-based studios set up uniquely for election day. ¶7. (SBU) Starting shortly after 4 p.m. and under the banner "Ma'an (Arabic for together) We Vote," the Ma'an Network aired a live interview with Hussein el-Sheikh, a senior Fatah official, in which he stated that the legislative elections reflect the beginning of a "real democracy" in Palestine, especially since almost all of the political parties have taken part in the election process. He said that the Palestinian people are expecting a serious and effective parliament and Fatah considers 2006 as the year of democracy, in which its Sixth Conference will take place. ¶8. (SBU) Al-Jazeera, which ran its coverage under the banner of "Palestinian Elections" has provided the most in-depth reports, which included prepared extensive reports and background on the political scene in the Palestinian areas and the region. At 4:30 pm, it conducted an interview with Chief Justice Taysir Tamimi and Archimandrite Attalah Hanna. ¶9. (SBU) Al-Hurra's coverage included a good number of interviews with people on the street, who expressed their views about the elections and their expectations of the new PLC. The TV station conducted an in-studio interview with a private American analyst on the American view of the elections. ¶10. (SBU) Palestinian TV continued to carry its lengthy in-studio interviews as well as updates from its correspondents on the ground. It continues to carry sporadic national songs and folklore dances between its programs. ¶11. (SBU) Voice of Palestine (VOP) radio continued its mostly upbeat coverage with live messages and reports filed by its correspondents throughout the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza. WALLES