Hamas sweeps to victory in first-ever Gaza Strip polls

Hamas swept seven out of 10 councils in first-ever Gaza Strip local elections seen as a test of strength between the Islamic militant group ...

Hamas swept seven out of 10 councils in first-ever Gaza Strip local elections seen as a test of strength between the Islamic militant group and new President Mahmoud Abbas, final results showed on Friday.

The Islamists had boycotted a January 9 presidential election won by Abbas on a platform of ending violence to allow talks with the Jewish state on Palestinian statehood. ‘‘Hamas’s victory proves Islam is the solution,’’ blared a slogan from loudspeakers as thousands of supporters celebrated in the streets beneath fluttering green Hamas flags.

‘‘Our people have a consensus on the choice of jihad and resistance and the election has underscored that concept,’’ Hamas spokesman Muhir al-Masri told reporters.

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Candidates from the Hamas list won 75 of the 118 council seats compared to 39 for members of Abbas’s Fatah movement and their allies, final figures from the Electoral Commission showed. But while the results were a blow to Fatah, they also raise the prospect that Hamas will join parliamentary elections in July and thereby shift closer to the political mainstream.

Voter turnout topped 80 per cent — much higher than at the presidential election for a successor to Yasser Arafat.

Local government minister Jamal al-Shobaki, a Fatah member, said the high turnout showed that ‘‘Palestinian people understand that democracy and elections are the start to the end of occupation’’.

‘‘The results showed that our people are insisting Hamas take part in the upcoming ballot,’’ said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.

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Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority issued a ban on civilians openly carrying unlicensed weapons. —Reuters

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