Palestinians go to the polls today

PALESTINIANS go to the polls today in their first general election to choose an 88 member council from among 678 candidates standing in 16 electoral districts.

Voters from a registered electorate of one million will cast ballots at 1,696 polling stations in schools and post offices protected by Palestinian police.

The poll will be supervised by 700 official observers from 32 countries operating under the aegis of the EU and by hundreds of unofficial observers.

Because of Israeli restrictions, 90 per cent of the 45,000 voters in East Jerusalem will be carried by 200 buses to polling stations outside the city limits, while 4,400 voters will vote in five post offices.

This poll, taking place in Gaza, the towns and villages of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, reasserts the claim of the Palestinian people to their homeland, occupied in its entirety by Israel during the wars of 1948 and 1967. The election - however conducted, whatever its result has given a forgotten people a voice in their own affairs.

Asked if the election would be "free and fair", Dr Mehdi Abdel Hadi, the head of an East Jerusalem think tank, gave the arrangements "6 1/2 or seven out of 10", adding: "This is not bad for a first try."

Mr Yasser Arafat, the chairman from a dozen small parties, the 439 "independents" (many of them Fatah members denied official backing) or powerful land of the Interim National Authority, is expected to secure at least 65 per cent of the vote in the presidential contest, soundly defeating his only rival, Mrs Samiha Khalil, a highly respected social welfare activist from Ramallah.

Dr Abdel Hadi estimated that Mr Arafat would garner "45 per cent of the popular vote", boosting this by 10 or 20 per cent with the votes of the 20,000 Palestinian security men and the 50,000 civil servants (and their families) who owe their livelihood to him.

Although 40 per cent of the seats in the legislative council should by filled by candidates from Mr Arafat's Fatah movement, the majority should come owning families.

Although the poll is being boycotted by the 10 secular and Islamist opposition parties, Mr Arafat may decide to include figures from these parties among five appointees to the executive authority (cabinet) to be formed when the council is constituted.

. Israeli soldiers yesterday shot dead three Palestinians who apparently failed to stop at a roadblock near the West Bank town of Jenin, Israeli security sources said.