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Palestinian National Authority

Flag of Palestinian National Authority

Flag description

The Palestinian flag was originally designed by Sharif Hussein for the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1916, and the Palestinian people first raised it as the flag of the Arab National movement in 1917, and later as the Palestinian flag. One explanation for the colours describes them as symbolizing green for the faith, white for the peace which is yearned for, black for the land held, and red for the courage with which to defend all of these. Another interpretation is: green is the fertile land, red is the blood that soaks it, black is the mourning for the martyrs and white is the hope for the future, and the faith that will give the peace wished for.

Election type: Presidential

Election date: 9 January 2005

Number of registered voters: 1.8 million

Compulsory voting: No

An Oxford Analytica article dated 11 January 2005 entitled Middle East: President Abbas faces daunting challenges comments that although fewer than half of the electorate voted, Mahmoud Abbas (also known as Abu Mazen) was declared the winner well ahead of his nearest challenger, independent pro-democracy campaigner Mustafa Barghouti in the first post-Arafat era presidential election. The article goes on to discuss Abbas’s political programme, ceasefire dilemmas, the reform agenda, consolidation of  Palestinian National Authority’s (PNA) security forces, the Hamas strategy and other challenges such as Ariel Sharon’s disengagement from the Gaza strip and West bank settlements.

Election type: Parliamentary

Election date: due 17 July 2005 (postponed to 25 January 2006)

Number of registered voters: 1.8 million

Compulsory voting: No

According to a Palestine Chronicle article of 9 June 2005 entitled PCHR [Palestine Centre for Human Rights] criticizes postponing Palestinian parliamentary election legal impediment is cited as the reason that it is not possible to hold Palestinian parliamentary elections on the originally specified date of 17 July 2005. President Abbas has announced that it will be held on January 25 2006

 

 

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Last reviewed 22 September, 2005 by the Parliamentary Library Web Manager
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