Palestinians voted in municipal elections Thursday, a warm-up for next month's presidential ballot and the first time the ruling Fatah movement and the Hamas group are competing for voter support. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia, who cast his ballot in the suburb of Abu Dis, praised the vote in 26 West Bank municipalities as "the first step toward the establishment of the Palestinians state." Next year, voting will likely take place in an additional 600 towns and villages, with a total of 1.2 million voters. In the West Bank town of Jericho, long lines formed at polling stations. Some 150,000 Palestinians were eligible to vote in Thursday's local elections. Some 800 candidates are vying for 306 municipal council positions. In some municipalities, two of 15 council seats were reserved for women. Meanwhile, Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat met Wednesday with Israeli officials to discuss arrangements for the presidential election. Israel has said it would withdraw troops from Palestinian cities a day before the vote, for 72 hours.
