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WORLD NEWS Saturday 7 November 2020
Puerto Ricans in unfamiliar territory as vote count delayed

By DÁNICA COTO Meanwhile, dozens of
Associated Press workers inside a coliseum
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) remained hunched over
— For the first time in de- tables as they counted by
cades, voters across Puerto hand thousands of ballots
Rico are still waiting for offi- that machines rejected the
cials to confirm the winners day of the election.
of some of the most high- Some officials blamed the
profile races days after the ongoing problems on a
U.S. territory held its general new law the governor ap-
election. proved in June just two
Traditionally, the govern- months before the primary
ment confirms final pre- that led to several chang-
liminary results the night of es including the softening
the election, but a record of restrictions for absen-
number of early and ab- tee and early voting and
sentee votes cast this year eliminating departments
has overwhelmed officials and high-ranking positions
and raised questions about within the elections com-
the capacity of an elec- mission, which led to the
tions commission that only departure of longtime of-
months ago fumbled a pri- ficials.
mary so badly it forced a The American Civil Liberties
second round of voting. New Progressive Party supporters of gubernatorial candidate Pedro Pierluisi arrive to the Vivo Union in Puerto Rico said
With nearly 98% of pre- Beach Club to wait for the results of the Puerto Rican general elections in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Friday that the new law has
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
cincts reporting on Friday, Associated Press caused "confusion and un-
gubernatorial candidate rest" and requested that it
Pedro Pierluisi of the pro- he said. "There's still a lot at cans, many of whom or- sion, Francisco Rosado, be allowed to observe the
statehood New Progres- play." ganized last year's massive said he wasn't satisfied with counting of pending votes.
sive Party pulled ahead Another hotly contested protests that led to the res- the job that the adminis- Political analyst Mario Ne-
by more than 16,000 votes race is that for mayor ignation of former Gov. Ri- trative board responsible grón warned the situation
over opponent Carlos Del- of Puerto Rico's capital. cardo Rosselló. for counting those votes is was eroding voters' con-
gado of the Popular Demo- Miguel Romero, of the New Puerto Rico's government doing. Rosado recently re- fidence in a government
cratic Party, which supports Progressive Party, is ahead blames the delay in results placed the commission's already struggling with cor-
the island's territorial status. by more than 1,800 votes on the more than 220,000 former president, who re- ruption and an economic
Pierluisi claimed victory late over Manuel Natal of Citi- absentee and early votes it signed in September after crisis.
Tuesday after polls closed, zen Victory Movement, a has received, a record for a botched primary in which "The elections commission
while Delgado has not con- new party that has espe- officials struggling to count the lack of voting materials was one of the few institu-
ceded. cially widespread support them. The president of Puer- prevented dozens of poll- tions that had credibility,"
"This event has not ended," among young Puerto Ri- to Rico's elections commis- ing centers from opening. he said.q

Palestinian in Israel prison ends 100-plus day hunger strike

By M. DARAGHMEH criticism from Palestinians Taghreed, told The Associ-
Associated Press and human rights groups, ated Press by phone.
RAMALLAH, West Bank which allege the policy "He weighed 104 kilograms
(AP) — A Palestinian pris- violates the right to due (229 pounds) before and
oner held by Israel has process. now he is 61" kilograms
agreed to end more than Qadoura Fares, the head (134 pounds), she added.
100 days of hunger strike, of advocacy group Pales- Israel's Shin Bet security
his family and a prisoner tinian Prisoners Club, said agency said al-Akhras' de-
rights' advocate said Fri- that under the agreement, tention order was already
day, claiming he had re- Israel will not extend the scheduled to end on Nov.
ceived assurances from current administrative de- 26. It would not elaborate.
Israeli authorities that his tention order for al-Akhras A security official, speak-
open-ended detention when it expires on Nov. 26. ing on condition of ano-
wouldn't be extended be- Al-Akhras' family said he nymity because he was
yond the end of Novem- will spend the next 10 days not authorized to discuss A protester holds a placard depicting Palestinian Maher al-
ber. at Kaplan Hospital in cen- the matter with the media, Akhras, 49, who has been on a hunger strike after he was
Maher al-Akhras, 49, has tral Israel, where he has said al-Akhras had reject- arrested and placed into administrative detention by Israel in
late July, outside of a prison in Ramla, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020.
refused to eat since he been since Sept. 6, after ed a similar court proposal Associated Press
was arrested in July and which he would be trans- last month to release him
locked up under adminis- ferred to an Arab hospital on Nov. 26 as long as no involved in "activities that The Islamic Jihad, which
trative detention, a policy in east Jerusalem for an- new evidence was pre- endanger public safety." has killed scores of Israelis
Israel uses to hold Palestin- other 10 days and then re- sented against him. According to the agency, in suicide bombings and
ians without charges on leased from there. The Shin Bet has said al- he was arrested five previ- other attacks over the
suspicion of undisclosed "He has ended his strike Akhras was arrested based ous times for involvement years, has threatened to
security offenses. These re- and now he is undergoing on information that he is in militant activities. The respond with attacks on Is-
newable detention orders a medical check-up to be- active in the Islamic Jihad family denies such involve- rael if al-Akhras' condition
have come under heavy gin eating," Al-Akhras' wife, militant group and was ment. deteriorated further.q