OIC Hails Municipal Elections In Palestine

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Bernama) -- The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) General Secretariat expressed its satisfaction on Saturday's Palestinian municipal elections, which took place in a well organised, transparent and credible competitive atmosphere. In a statement, the General Secretariat paid tribute to the efforts made to enable the Palestinian people to overcome obstacles and reach this important and crucial stage. It emphasised that these elections represented a positive step within the framework of anchoring and consolidating commitment to and participation in the democratic process and respect for institutions in the State of Palestine. The Secretary-General sent a delegation from the OIC General Secretariat to participate in the monitoring process of the elections following an invitation from the chairman of the Palestinian Central Elections Committee. The OIC observer mission concluded that the elections were carried out in a serene, transparent and well-organised manner and that the Palestinian Central Elections Committee saw to it that the electoral legislations were duly respected. According to reports, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank went to vote for the first time since 2012 on Saturday, for the local and municipal elections. It was a rare chance for Palestinians to cast ballots after over a decade without presidential or legislative elections. Results announced Sunday saw the ruling Fatah Party posted a poor result, even though rival Islamic Hamas movement and several major Palestinian factions boycotted the race, reports said. Just 53 per cent of the eligible 787,000 voters cast their votes on Saturday. -- BERNAMA