In a blow to Hamas, Palestinian court nullifies local election results

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A Palestinian court on Tuesday threw out voting results in parts of Rafah, the southern Gaza town where the militant Islamic group swept to victory in a local election this month.

Thousands of supporters of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction took to the streets for late-night celebrations of a court ruling expected to increase friction between Hamas and the mainstream group.

Hamas, which won 12 Rafah council seats to three for Fatah in the May 5 ballot, shrugged off the political blow, saying it respected the court's decision and expected to do even better in a re-vote. A date for the re-vote has yet to be set.

The court cancelled the results in 51 of Rafah's 141 polling stations after finding irregularities in voter registration lists and ballot boxes, said Osama Abu Safiyah of the Supreme Committee for Local Election in Gaza.


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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/577321.html