Mahmoud Abbas will confront new  challenges

RAMALLAH, West Bank- Mahmoud Abbas has been elected Palestinian Authority president by a landslide, partial results showed Monday, giving the pragmatist a mandate to resume peace talks with Israel, but also leaving him with the tough task of reining in powerful armed groups. Israeli leaders welcomed Abbas' victory, but said they will watch closely how hard he tries to subdue militants. Abbas could easily lose his political capital over a major bombing or shooting attack, and while most militant groups signalled they are willing to give him a chance, not all have signed on to a truce with Israel. Still, Abbas' victory held out the promise of a new era after four decades of chaotic and corruption-riddled rule by Yasser Arafat, who died Nov. 11. Abbas, who has spoken out against violence and has the support of the international community, promises to reform the government and the unwieldy security services. Many Palestinians had high expectations. "The election is our weapon to change our life," said Souad Radwan, a 46-year-old teacher from the Gaza refugee camp of Jebaliya, whose house was demolished in an Israeli raid. "We are sick of the (Israeli) occupation and this troubled life." Based on results from 10 of 16 electoral districts, Abbas won 65 percent of the vote, election officials said Monday. Final results were expected later in the day. Abbas' main challenger, independent Mustafa Barghouti, won 21 percent, while the remaining five candidates scored in the lower single digits. In his acceptance speech, Abbas said he faces a difficult mission, but he reiterated that he would not go after militants. Instead, he said, he wants to "give our fugitives a life of dignity," referring to those wanted by Israel. "I present this victory to the soul of Yasser Arafat and present it to our people and to our martyrs," Abbas said, referring to Palestinians killed in the conflict with Israel. After exit polls late Sunday predicted a sweeping Abbas victory, cheering supporters took to the streets of the West Bank and Gaza. Gunmen fired in the air, motorists honked horns and members of Abbas' ruling Fatah movement, wearing checkered black-and-white headbands, danced in the streets. In Washington, President George W. Bush called the election a historic step toward a Palestinian state. "The United States stands ready to help the Palestinian people realize their aspirations," Bush said.The new Palestinian president and his cabinet face critical tasks ahead,"The new Palestinian president and his cabinet face critical tasks ahead, including fighting terrorism, combatting corruption, building    reformed    and  democratic institutions and

 reviving the Palestinian economy." In Israel, a new, more dovish coalition was to be approved by parliament Monday, another step toward a planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four small West Bank settlements in the summer. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new coalition partners, the moderate Labour party and a small ultra-Orthodox faction, ensure a parliamentary majority for the pullback, despite fervent opposition from hardliners. Sharon plans to meet with Abbas soon, the Israeli leader's aides said. Most Palestinian militant groups have indicated they are willing to halt attacks against Israel. The Islamic Hamas, which called for an election boycott, did not try to disrupt the vote, and local militant leaders demonstrated their support for Abbas. However, Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, who fund some of the Palestinian militants, are trying to sabotage attempts to attain a truce, according to people close to the group. On Sunday, Hezbollah carried out a cross-border attack, setting off an exchange that resulted in the deaths of an Israeli soldier, a French UN observer and a Hezbollah fighter. Abbas' political objectives are the same as Arafat's -- a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, and a solution for Palestinian war refugees and their descendants. "There is a difficult mission ahead to build our state, to achieve security for our people . . . to give our prisoners freedom, our fugitives a life in dignity, to reach our goal of an independent state," he said after declaring victory. The Central Election Commission changed voting procedures midway through the election, keeping polling stations open an additional two hours and allowing voters to cast their ballots at any location, not just in their hometowns. One election official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the changes came after heavy pressure from Fatah, which feared a low turnout could weaken Abbas. One election official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the changes came after heavy pressure from Fatah, which feared a low turnout could weaken Abbas.

 

The commission initially planned to release results from polling stations as they reached its headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Results were to be displayed on large screens at a media centre. However, because of the sudden change in procedure, the plan was scrapped and no results were being released overnight, election officials said. They said they wanted to review the ballots carefully to make sure there was no double voting. There was some confusion about voter turnout. Officials said close to 70 per cent of 1.1 million registered voters cast ballots. However, in all about 1.8 million Palestinians were eligible, and a total turnout figure was not given. The election, the first presidential vote in nine years, proceeded largely without interruption. In one incident, gunmen fired in the air in an election office and in Jerusalem, voters complained of confusing arrangements. Palestinian cabinet ministers said Abbas won a strong mandate. "The Palestinian people have transmitted a message of peace to Israel and to the international community," said minister Ghassan Khatib. The vote was witnessed by hundreds of foreign observers, including former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and former French premier Michel Rocard. Israel eased some travel restrictions. Many gunmen obeyed rules barring weapons in voting stations, but in a sign of the difficulty the new president will face in controlling them, Zakariye Zubeidi, a militant leader, refused to give up his M-16 assault rifle when he walked into a polling station in the West Bank town of Jenin. In Jerusalem.