RAMALLAH – The Islamic bloc linked with Hamas won the annual election for the Bir Zeit University student council on Wednesday, defeating Fatah-backed competitors.
With a 76.7 percent voter turnout, the Hamas-backed group got 25 seats with 4,481 votes, while the Fatah-backed bloc received just 20 seats with 3,539 votes.
The socialist students’ coalition received 942 votes and won six seats.
Deep divides between Fatah and Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were underscored on May 23 by scathing criticism of each other’s policies.
The discussion also centered on their student-serving programs.
Despite the financial crisis, Bir Zeit University elections have become a barometer of change in Palestinian public political opinion, with Fatah and Hamas fighting furiously and spending tens of thousands of dollars to fund electoral campaigns.
Hamas chastised Fatah for weak security collaboration with Israel, corruption, and President Mahmoud Abbas’ poor performance.
The Abbas-led Fatah blasted Hamas for staying in five-star hotels in Qatar despite the financial crisis, and called on its opponents to relax the restriction on student council elections in Gaza Strip colleges.
In recent years, the Islamic bloc has led the student council, while the Fatah bloc believes it is paying the price for the Palestinian Authority’s faults in terms of corruption, nepotism, and security collaboration with Israel.
Meanwhile, Hamas won elections held on May 16 at An-Najah National University in Nablus by a slender two-seat margin of 40-38.
According to Ghassan Al-Khatib, vice president of Bir Zeit University, in the absence of any other survey, the council vote is a trustworthy predictor of changes in Palestinian public opinion because of “the credibility, integrity, and democracy of the elections.”
As a liberal university, “we aim to acquaint our students with democratic life, pluralism, and tolerance for opposing viewpoints.” As a result, these elections are regarded as the most practical exercise in democratic competitiveness,” he remarked.
Al-Khatib went on to say that the debates this year were more fierce than in prior years, displaying the students’ abilities and intelligence.
“Today is a critical day for Bir Zeit University, where competition is fierce.” “It is the only place where one can see political freedom,” he remarked.
According to experts, Bir Zeit students are free of any employment offers that could influence their votes and participate in the voting process in a democratic climate and with remarkable honesty.
Fatah and Hamas are putting in tremendous effort to win elections, which can assist them enhance their political rhetoric.
According to Amer Hamdan, a human rights activist from Nablus, competition amongst student blocs in Palestinian colleges remains within campus walls, and hence is a reasonable barometer of the level of support that Palestinian groups possess among the general public.
According to him, most students voted in university elections based on their family’s political views.
Hamdan said that Hamas’ Islamic alliance at Bir Zeit benefited from Fatah-backed competitors’ blunders in the An-Najah elections a week ago.
Fatah activists opened fire in front of the campus and attempted to alter the image of Hamas-affiliated candidates on social media, ostensibly with the assistance of Palestinian Authority security forces.
Bir Zeit University was founded in 1973 as a public, non-governmental institution. It is regarded as one of the oldest and most reputable Palestinian institutions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, producing prominent political leaders in economics and business administration.
The university is the only location in the West Bank where Hamas may promote its activities and politics without being restricted by the Palestinian Authority.
Bir Zeit University has 36 bachelor’s degree programs, 13 master’s degree programs, and three Ph.D. programs. It has 450 teachers working for it.
There are students from the West Bank and a few hundred Palestinians who live in Israel who study there.
The majority of Palestinian leaders are alumni of Bir Zeit University.
Source: Arab News
