Municipal polls Thursday in 26 West Bank villages

[Scurrilous]

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/518353.html

<snip>

"Palestinians in 26 West Bank towns on Thursday were casting their ballots in the first local and municipal authorities elections in decades.

These elections are the preamble to broader local elections that will take place in the larger cities and municipal authorities in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."

<snip>


"Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia, who cast his ballot in the Jerusalem suburb of Abu Dis, praised the vote in 26 West Bank municipalities as "the first step toward the establishment of the Palestinians state."

The secretary general of the Central Elections Committee, Hussein al-A'arj expressed hope that a large portion of the eligible Palestinian voters will exercise their right and bolster democracy in the Palestinian Authority."