Rural Palestinians cast ballot in early municipal vote

Jerusalem, Dec 11 (EFE).- Palestinians in rural areas of the occupied West Bank on Saturday cast their votes in the initial stage of a municipal election that concludes in March next year.

Just 405,000 people are eligible to vote in this first stage, which is taking place in 154 towns and villages. Most candidates are independent or belong to the governing Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

Some 222 councils will miss out on the vote, either because only one list was submitted, as is the case for 60, or none were submitted at all, which is the case for the remaining 162

Larger towns and cities in the West Bank will vote on 26 March 2022.

The Hamas militant group, which de facto rules the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory separated from the West Bank by Israel, announced a boycott of Saturday’s vote.

Hamas, which opposes Fatah, did not participate in local elections in 2012 and 2017. EFE

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