RAMALLAH, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Independent figures won 64.4 percent of the 632-seat municipal councils in West Bank's second phase elections, whereas partisan lists obtained 35.6 percent, the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (PCEC) announced Sunday.
The second phase of municipal elections was held in 50 localities across the West Bank on Saturday after the first round of voting in December last year, producing a final turnout of 53.7 percent out of the 715,413 electorates, PCEC Chairman Hanna Nasser told a news conference held in the West Bank city of al-Bireh.
The results included the number of votes and seats obtained by each list, and the winners' name, said the chairman.
The total number of voters reached 380,000, and the percentage of valid ballots reached 97 percent, aside from 1 percent blank votes and 2 percent invalid votes, he noted.
PCEC also announced the names of electoral lists that won by vocal approval in 23 municipal councils due to having only one list running for elections.
PCEC said it exerted all efforts to publish the results within 24 hours to allow for raising objections before the elections court within one week of the results announcement.
The court would then decide on the challenges within five days of submission before issuing its final binding decisions.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which has been ruling the Gaza Strip since 2007, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) boycotted the first phase held in the West Bank in December 2021. Both had also boycotted the second phase.
Local elections in the Gaza Strip have not been held since 2004, while presidential elections haven't been held in Palestine since 2005, and the legislative or parliamentary polls haven't been held in Palestine since 2006.
An internal Palestinian division started right after the Hamas movement had violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. ■
