RAMALLAH (AA) - Ethem Tokdemir, heading the Turkish delegation who went to Palestine to monitor the presidential elections, expressed thought on Sunday that the Palestinians had given a successful democracy test.
Tokdemir, who earlier served as Turkey's Consul General in Jerusalem and Deputy Special Representative to Iraq, told A.A correspondent that the Palestinians, who held elections for the first time, laid a successful groundwork for these elections in a very short time.
''Everything was fulfilled within the framework of the compromise reached between Israel and Palestine,'' he said.
Noting that Turkish observers closely monitored the vote casting process in Ramallah and East Jerusalem, Tokdemir said, ''we monitored all the ballot boxes. There were naturally some complaints. People who can't find their names in the voters' lists reacted. But, none of these developments overshadowed the elections.''
Tokdemir stated that East Jerusalem Palestinian voters who could not find their names in the voters' lists cast their votes in election center set up near Al Ram military checkpoint, and added that Israeli soldiers in the checkpoints behaved very gently to the Palestinians.
(BRC-A֩
2005-01-10