JERUSALEM, July 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Supporters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat have lost elections held within the Fatah movement in different areas of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Haaretz daily reported Tuesday.
The report, citing Israeli sources, said that Arafat had opposed holding elections within the Fatah movement, but the movement's leadership in Gaza decided to start holding these elections on May 26.
The winners in the elections were the "reformists" who call for democratic changes and reforms within the Fatah, said the sources, adding that they are followers of former Palestinian security chief Mohamad Dahlan.
"Because of Dahlan's followers' victory, Arafat has ordered last week to immediately stop these elections, but the formers insisted on resuming the elections and its latest round was held in the heart of Gaza city on Sunday," the sources said.
They added that 1060 members of the Fatah movement participated in the elections, which were held on five rounds during the past month in different areas of the strip.
According to the sources, the movement divided the strip into seven areas and each area was divided in turn into five sub-areas, except for the southern strip city of Kahn Younis that was divided into four sub-areas.
The sources, meanwhile, were quoted as saying that Arafat's order to halt these elections were indirect.
Arafat told Palestinian national security chief in the strip Abdel-Razeq Majayda, who in turn told Fatah's secretary general in the strip Ahmad Heles to stop the elections, they said. Enditem |
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