Meshaal wins second round of Hamas votes, say officials

Khaled Meshaal has been named head of Hamas Political Bureau Hamas veteran leader Khaled Meshaal has won the second round of leadership elections held in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Tuesday. Gaza’s Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh apparently came in second, with just seven votes behind Meshaal.
A leading official told Arabstoday that the vote, conducted by Hamas’ Shura Council, took place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Cairo. The result means that Meshaal will now be head of the Hamas Political Bureau for the next four years, while Haniyeh will be appointed as one of three deputy heads.
As well as being deputy head of Hamas Political Bureau, Haniyeh will also remain the president of the movement in Gaza and the West Bank.
The news comes after Meshaal won the first round of votes in a similar meeting on Monday. He was initially crowned the president of the movement, but refused the position, favouring the head of the Political Bureau instead.
56 year-old Meshaal has run the Palestinian movement since 1996 from exile. He is popular with regional powers Qatar, Turkey and Egypt.
His appointment was confirmed in statement released by Hamas on Tuesday.
“The Shura Council has renewed confidence in appointing the movement's political bureau head Khaled Meshaal.
“We’d like to thank the leadership and people of Egypt for their permanent support of the Palestinian people and their cause,” read the statement.
His re-election could revive stalled reconciliation efforts between Hamas and political rival Mahmoud Abbas, the Western-backed Palestinian president based in Ramallah, West Bank.
Meshaal has pushed for reconciliation, but has been blocked by Hamas hardliners in Gaza who fear a unity deal will give Abbas a new foothold in Gaza and weaken Hamas' grip on the territory.
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources also revealed that head of media for Hamas, Izzat al-Rishq, lost his position in the organisation, although no reasons have been given.