CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: PROF. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

World / Middle East

Hamas wins major university election in West Bank

Published: 11 May 2017 - 01:38 pm | Last Updated: 16 Nov 2021 - 06:43 pm
Students who support Hamas gather to attend the debate held ahead of the student council elections, at Bir Zeit University in Ramallah, West Bank on May 09, 2017.  Issam Rimawi - Anadolu Agency

Students who support Hamas gather to attend the debate held ahead of the student council elections, at Bir Zeit University in Ramallah, West Bank on May 09, 2017. Issam Rimawi - Anadolu Agency

AA

RAMALLAH, Palestine: The Hamas-affiliated student body Islamic Wafaa’ Bloc won the student council elections held at the Birzeit University in West Bank for the third year in a row, a university dean announced Wednesday.

According to the head of the Elections Preparatory Committee and Dean of Student Affairs, Mohammad al-Ahmad, the Islamic Wafaa’ Bloc won 25 out of 51 seats, while the Fatah-affiliated Yasser Arafat Bloc bagged 22 seats. The Democratic Progressive Student Pole got four. 

According to al-Ahmad, a total of 7828 out of 10,800 eligible students voted in the elections. 

Hamas issued a statement saying the victory of the Islamic Wafaa’ Bloc was a message that Palestinians supported resistance.

"This victory is a message of support for the Palestinian uprising and hunger strikers in Israeli prisons," it said.