Hamas to Boycott Palestinian Elections 
A senior Hamas leader, Ismail Hanieh, said Wednesday, December 1, 2004, that the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement will boycott the January 9 presidential election for a successor to Yasser Arafat. The announcement by Hamas could undercut the legitimacy of the election, though Hamas said it would honor the outcome. Hamas has tens of thousands of supporters and is particularly strong in the Gaza Strip.