A s expected, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas has won elections to succeed Yasser Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Abbas is viewed as a moderate and a technocrat; there are widespread hopes that he will make genuine efforts to push for peace with Israel. If he does, he will be dealing with a newly constituted Israeli government whose makeup could lead to its readiness to reciprocate. Those are two big "ifs," but they provide a foundation for optimism that has been lacking for several years.
Mr. Abbas had been the front-runner to succeed Arafat since the Palestinian leader's death last November. He was named the temporary president, and victory in Sunday's ballot was almost assured. The only questions revolved around the margin of his victory and the turnout. Both were critical to Mr. Abbas if he was to claim a mandate to lead the Palestinian people and negotiate seriously with Israel.
The election results show Mr. Abbas receiving two-thirds of the vote (67 percent); his nearest rival, Mr. Mahmoud Barghouti, a human-rights activist backed by the left, won 20 percent. The margin of victory is convincing; the turnout was less impressive.