In January, more than three thousand international observers led by former US president Jimmy Carter were present during the Palestinian elections for both the president and the eighty-eight-member legislative council. Arafat removed candidates from the Fatah list that he did not care for and several therefore ran as independents. Arafat received almost 90 per cent of the vote and Fatah secured fifty-five mandates. Hamas did not put up any candidates and the turn-out was therefore low in Hebron.