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Palestinians Say They Want Democracy
 Freed from Yasser Arafat's one-man rule, Palestinians say they are eager and able to build the first real democracy in the Arab world, despite the dangers lurking on the road to Jan. 9 elections.
| Ummm... Yeah. Okay. I believe it... |
The thrill of new possibilities is felt across the West Bank and Gaza Strip: the field of candidates for Palestinian Authority president gets more crowded by the day and includes a militant sheik turned moderate, a dissident once jailed by Arafat, and a prisoner of Israel campaigning from his cell. "Now it's real competition, the possibility of winning is there," said pro-democracy activist Mustafa Barghouti, a physician considering a presidential bid.
| Marwan would make a fine president, very representative of Paleostine... |
However, the shift to democracy could be rough.
Armed gangs have been controlling the streets in four years of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, raising the threat of political violence during a heated campaign. Democratic traditions are not deeply rooted. During his 10 years as leader of the Palestinian Authority, Arafat accepted some of the trappings of democracy, including general elections in 1996 and a feisty parliament, but always reserved the final say.
| ... which was usually "Give me the money." |
Islamic militants, who are not fielding a candidate, haven't said whether they'll suspend attacks on Israel; without a truce, it would be virtually impossible to hold the vote. And Israel has not yet agreed to keep its troops at a distance from the voting.
Posted by: Fred 2004-11-21 |
