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Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/573394.html
Hamas Wins Larger Towns in PA Local Elections
(Jerusalem Post) Arnon Regular - In PA local elections held last Thursday, Hamas scored unprecedented victories and now controls at least 48 local authorities in the territories. Fatah said it had won 55% of the seats in the local councils, but they are concentrated in small, unimportant authorities, while Hamas gained significant victories in most of the larger towns in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Fatah candidates won decisive victories in 38 authorities with a total population of 230,000. Hamas won in 30 authorities whose total population exceeds 600,000. (Ha'aretz) Hamas won all 15 seats on the Kalkilya municipal council in the West Bank. In Bethlehem, Hamas won five out of seven seats allocated for Muslims. (Eight seats are allocated for Christians to ensure that a Christian is elected as mayor.) In Rafah in Gaza, Hamas candidates won 13 of the 15 council seats. Hundreds of Fatah gunmen took to the streets in al-Bureij to protest against the results and vowed to prevent Hamas by force from taking over the municipality.