2005 Palestinian presidential election

General election held in the Palestinian National Authority yes 2005 Palestinian presidential election Palestine presidential no 73.42% ( 1.76 pp) 1996 Palestinian general election 1996 2027 Palestinian presidential election 2027 2005 1 9 y 150x150px Mahmoud Abbas Fatah 501,448 67.38% 155x150px Mustafa Barghouti Palestinian National Initiative 156,227 20.99% File:Palestine 2005 presidential election map.svg Results by governorate: Mahmoud Abbas: #ffde71ff 50–55% #f9c75aff 55–60% #f2b642ff 60–65% #eea533ff 65–70% #e8911fff 70–75% President Rawhi Fattouh Fatah Mahmoud Abbas Fatah The 2005 Palestinian Presidential elections were held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip of the Palestinian National Authority on Sunday, 9 January 2005 to elect the President of the Palestinian National Authority, to succeed Yasser Arafat, who had died on 11 November 2004.2005: Abbas triumphs in Palestinian elections. BBC, 9 January 2005Abbas declared victor in Palestinian election. CNN, 11 January 2005 The election was the first to be held since the 1996 general election, and voters elected Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Mahmoud Abbas for a four-year term. Seven candidates contested the election. Abbas won over 67% of the votes cast, independent candidate Mustafa Barghouti came second with 21%, and the remaining candidates were far behind.Palestinian Landslide For Abbas The election was boycotted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Hamas urged supporters to stay away, but did not try to disrupt the election. In the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is strongest, it is estimated that about half of the eligible voters voted. No presidential elections have taken place since 2005. Abbas has continued in office since the expiration of the four-year term on 9 January 2009,Report: Abbas won't run for another term Yedioth Ahronoth, 16 December 2008 with planned elections repeatedly postponed. Candidates On 25 November 2004, Fatah's Revolutionary Council endorsed Mahmoud Abbas as its preferred candidate for the presidential election, scheduled for 9 January 2005, despite his relative lack of popular appeal. Abbas was a former PA Prime Minister. Marwan Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and Fatah leader in the West Bank, who was in an Israeli prison after being convicted for a number of intifada killings July 2024, suggested that he might run July 2024, inspiring considerable speculation about his prospects. He was seen as the only candidate who could hope to compete seriously against Abbas. However, his proposed candidacy met with resistance from Fatah activists July 2024. After contradictory announcements, Marwan Barghouti declared his candidacy just before the registration deadline expired but then withdrew from the race on 12 December, after discussions between his representatives and the Fatah leadership July 2024. Opinion polls before Marwan Barghouti withdrew his candidacy suggested that the contest would largely be between Abbas and Marwan Barghouti. Some of these polls showed: Abbas 44% / Marwan Barghouti 46% (±3%) (Development Studies Program, Bir Zeit University) Abbas 40% / Marwan Barghouti 38% (±3%) (Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research) Abbas 40% / Marwan Barghouti 22% (±3%) (Palestinian Center for Public Opinion) July 2024. With Marwan Barghouti's withdrawal, Abbas was seen as the clear favourite, with Marwan Barghouti‘s cousin Mustafa Barghouti in second place. Final list of candidates Mahmoud Abbas - Palestine Liberation Organisation. Former Prime Minister and current chairman of the PLO, endorsed by the Fatah Revolutionary Council on November 25, 2004. Abelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar - independent. Sayyid Barakah - independent. Mustafa Barghouti - independent. A democracy activist and head of the Palestinian National Initiative. His candidacy was supported by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Not to be confused with his cousin Marwan Barghouti. Taysir Khalid - Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Bassam al-Salhi - Palestinian People's Party Abdel Karim Shubeir - independent Three other candidates who registered by the end of the registration period subsequently withdrew: they were Marwan Barghouti, Hassan Khreisheh and Abd al-Sattar Qasim. Registration Preparation of voting register The CEC had made enormous efforts to register all eligible Palestinian voters, but almost a third of eligible voters did not register or were unable to register. Problems were due to a not up to date civil registry and the translation of Arabic names, which were in Hebrew on Israeli ID cards. In an effort to boost low turnout, the CEC made a controversial decision in the final hours of polling day to allow unregistered voters to cast ballots using only their identity cards, which raised fears of multiple voting. A Palestinian election official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the changes came after heavy pressure from Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, which feared a low turnout could weaken Abbas. ("Abbas Wins Palestinian Vote in Landslide," Associated Press, 10 January 2005). The day before the election the total number of registered voters was 1,092,407 according to a CEC press release."Central Elections Commission (CEC) Upcoming Presidential Elections: Facts and Statistics," CEC, 8 January 2005 On 23 November, the CEC said: "The number of registrants on the voters’ list reached 1,111,868, or 67 percent of the estimated number of eligible voters, during the registration process conducted between September 4 and October 13, 2004. Of these names, 19,000 were removed from the voters’ list because the accompanying data was incomplete or the names were repeated on the list. With this adjustment, the number of registered voters decreased to 1,092,856." ("46% of Registered Voters are Youths, 46% are Women.")CEC, 23 November 2004 Palestinian diaspora May 2024 According to UNRWA, there were 2.6 million Palestinians registered as refugees with the agency eligible to receive services who lived outside Palestine, in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. An unknown additional number sometimes estimated to be up to one million live in the diaspora in Europe, North and South America and in other Arab countries. Conduct The election was conducted by the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC), which was also responsible for the preparation of an electoral register. The head of the CEC was Hanna Nasir, who was appointed in 2002 by Yasser Arafat. The CEC was established by the Palestinian Authority in 1995 as an independent body.Birzeit University, Dr. Hanna Nasir The CEC experienced some technical problems, including those due to the incomplete electoral register. Persons not listed on the electoral register were permitted to vote on presentation of a valid identity card. In view of the registration problems, in an effort to boost low turnout, in the final hours of polling day the CEC was controversially instructed to extend voting by two hours beyond the appointed closing time to allow unregistered voters to cast ballots using only their identity cards. The decision raised fears of multiple voting.Report on Second Presidential Elections January 9, 2005March 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes , p.115-117 The election was observed by a number of international observers, including former President Jimmy Carter and U.S. Senators Joe Biden and John E. Sununu. Obstruction by Israel claimed by CEC The election campaign faced problems due to the widespread blockade of the Palestinian territories by the Israel Defense Forces.June 2024 Despite Israel's assurances that it would do what it could to ensure that the election took place, in many instances Israeli forces actively interfered in the campaign. June 2024 Among reported incidents was the arrest of Mustafa Barghouti by Israeli forces and his subsequent expulsion from East Jerusalem when he was going to hold an election speech there. June 2024 He was also prevented from entering Nablus and Gaza. Bassam al-Salhi, candidate for the socialist Palestinian People's Party, was also prevented from visiting East Jerusalem. June 2024 Many of Abbas' opponents claimed that they were unfairly treated as Israel denied them entry to areas Abbas was allowed to visit during the election campaign. Abbas was the only candidate allowed access to Gaza.August 2022 Voter registration was hampered by closure of registration centers due to curfews, roadblocks and road closures.June 2024 Registration staff and supervisors were detained. June 2024 Israeli troops, used gas grenades and noise in the vicinity. June 2024 The CEC claimed a number of centers were raided.Report on Second Presidential Elections January 9, 2005March 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes , p.33-36. Central Elections Commission (CEC); 30 March 2005 Particularly East Jerusalem was affected. According to the CEC, checking of the names of voters in the voters list was prevented. Also the polling was supervised by the Israeli postal authority. The votes were not counted at the polling centers themselves, but first transported to the Jerusalem electoral constituency office in Dahiyat al-Barid. Report on Second Presidential Elections January 9, 2005March 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes , p.68 The CEC also said that voters were intimidated by recording the ID card numbers that were listed in the register and registration staff members were detained.Central Elections Commission (CEC), Elections Arrangements in Jerusalem. The CEC said there were difficulties in accessing polling stations. In Khan Younis Israeli soldiers opened fire against a school used as a polling station and by roadblocks prevented thousands of people from getting to the polling stations.Solana: Israel did not fulfill its commitment to facilitate Palestinian Elections https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073205/http://www.imemc.org/article/8434 2016-03-04 , International Middle East Media Center. 11 January 2005 The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana criticized Israel for insufficiently easing restrictions and was quoted as saying that "Israel did not fulfill its commitment as it should have." Results Mahmoud Abbas won the election with 67.4% of valid votes cast; 62.5% when invalid and blank votes are included. Mahmoud Abbas Fatah 501448 Mustafa Barghouti Palestinian National Initiative 156227 Taysir Khalid Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine 26848 Abelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar Independent 22171 Bassam as-Salhi Palestinian People's Party 21429 Sayyid Barakah Independent 10406 Abdel Karim Shubeir Independent 5717 57831 1092407 CEC, IFES Results by governorate These totals, documenting the results in each of the 16 governorates of Palestine, also tabulate blank and invalid votes.https://www.elections.ps/Portals/0/pdf/Voters'listCivilregister2005.pdf Table No.(2): Elections Final Results-( Voters' list and civil register)- by district Central Elections Commission of Palestine 2025-07-15 GovernorateMahmoud AbbasFatahMustafa BarghoutiIndependentTaysir KhalidDFLPAbelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq AshqarIndependentBassam as-SalhiPPPSayyid BarakahIndependentAbdel Karim ShubeirIndependentInvalid votesBlank votesTotalvotes#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#% Quds 17,356 61.68 5,350 19.07 1,666 5.94 559 1.99 580 2.07 188 0.67 86 0.31 950 3.39 1,324 4.72 28,059 Jenin 41,663 62.26 12,065 18.03 4,029 6.02 1,427 2.13 1,865 2.79 513 0.77 181 0.27 2,765 4.13 2,410 3.60 66,918 Tulkarm 26,288 54.88 9,327 19.47 2,791 5.83 2,658 5.55 2,925 6.11 169 0.35 144 0.30 1,786 3.73 1,815 3.79 47,903 Tubas 10,324 67.50 2,389 15.62 933 6.10 257 1.68 157 1.03 66 0.43 52 0.34 510 3.33 607 3.97 26,188 Nablus 53,048 59.30 19,408 21.70 4,368 4.88 2,193 2.45 3,349 3.74 414 0.46 251 0.28 3,234 3.62 3,192 3.57 89,457 Qalqilya 14,187 63.57 4,496 20.15 655 2.94 347 1.55 559 2.50 144 0.65 51 0.23 904 4.05 973 4.36 22,316 Salfit 10,584 55.70 3,940 20.73 933 4.91 398 2.09 1,751 9.21 65 0.34 56 0.29 676 3.56 599 3.15 19,002 Ramallah 41,552 58.98 15,767 22.38 2,152 3.05 2,543 3.61 3,566 5.06 279 0.40 224 0.32 1,889 2.68 2,484 3.53 70,456 Jericho 8,698 74.89 1,603 13.80 205 1.76 109 0.94 338 2.91 38 0.33 15 0.13 275 2.37 334 2.88 11,615 Bethlehem 29,406 61.07 9,896 20.55 1,895 3.94 878 1.82 1,675 3.48 188 0.39 120 0.25 1,766 3.67 2,329 4.84 48,153 Hebron 59,912 60.65 23,004 23.29 2,579 2.61 1,914 1.94 2,274 2.30 653 0.66 298 0.30 3,909 3.96 4,236 4.29 98,779 North Gaza 36,550 67.62 10,670 19.74 825 1.53 1,826 3.38 495 0.92 432 0.80 594 1.10 1,603 2.97 1,061 1.96 54,056 Gaza 62,113 68.52 14,461 15.95 1,500 1.65 3,431 3.78 540 0.60 828 0.91 2,143 2.36 3,488 3.85 2,147 2.37 90,651 Deir al-Balah 28,944 66.44 7,803 17.91 653 1.50 1,272 2.92 550 1.26 939 2.16 384 0.88 1,832 4.21 1,190 2.73 43,657 Khan Yunis 37,733 62.01 10,255 16.85 992 1.63 1,208 1.99 348 0.57 5,014 8.24 830 1.36 2,980 4.90 1,488 2.45 60,848 Rafah 23,090 65.97 5,793 16.55 672 1.92 1,151 3.29 457 1.31 476 1.36 288 0.82 2,105 6.01 970 2.77 35,002 Total 501,448 62.52 156,227 19.48 26,848 3.35 22,171 2.76 21,429 2.67 10,406 1.30 5,717 0.71 30,672 3.82 27,159 3.39 802,077 International response The EU praised the election, with European Commission president José Manuel Durão Barroso describing it as "a very important step towards the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian state".Abbas achieves landslide poll win, BBC News, 10 January 2005 References External links Central Elections Commission (CEC)March 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes News reports from IMEMC about the election Angus Reid Consultants - Election Tracker Presidential Palestine Category:Elections in the Palestinian National Authority