2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Cimaron (Paeng)
The name Cimaron was submitted by the Philippines, and is a type of wild ox. The system quickly intensified, and was upgraded to a severe tropical storm by the JMA later that day. The system continued its quick intensification and was upgraded to a typhoon by both the JTWC and JMA on October 28. Further intensification occurred overnight, and the typhoon had rapidly deepened 65 hPa in 24 hours, from 985 hPa to 920 hPa, causing the JTWC to upgrade it to a 140-kn super typhoon at 9 a.m. UTC on October 29.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Cimaron (Paeng)
It made landfall at about 12:30 p.m. UTC the same day on Northern Luzon. There, especially in Isabela Province, it lashed winds as much as 195 km/h and gusts as much as 230 km/h. Actually, all or parts of four provinces (Isabela, Quirino, Cagayan and Aurora) are declared under Signal No. 4 as the typhoon struck the island.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Cimaron (Paeng)
Cimaron then re-intensified after crossing the island, but not to its original strength, and was expected to curve towards Hainan, instead of moving towards Vietnam as previously forecast. On November 1, the JTWC upgraded the typhoon back into a Category 3-equivalent storm, and forecast that it would make a direct impact on Hong Kong. However, prediction models showed conflicting forecasts, and Cimaron remained quasi-stationary and weakened to a severe tropical storm on November 2. Dry air entrainment caused further weakening, with the JTWC dropping it to a minimal tropical storm at 3 p.m. UTC the next day. It weakened further, upwelling itself. The JTWC issued its final warning at 3 p.m. UTC on November 4. The JMA continued advisories on Cimaron until 12 a.m. UTC on November 6, when it was downgraded to a weak tropical depression.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Cimaron (Paeng)
The typhoon killed at least 19 people, many of whom drowned, and left 15 missing in the northern Philippines. It also killed a woman and her child after both are hit by a sheet of galvanized iron in Dilasag, Aurora Province, serving as the first human casualties. Further casualties happened as the typhoon passed through Luzon. Despite these, however, classes in Metro Manila were still not suspended. It also caused at least US$9 million in damage. 90% of the houses were damaged in a coastal town near where Cimaron made landfall. In the aftermath of the storm's passage across the Philippines, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency contributed 2.5 million Swedish krona (US$350,000) to aid efforts.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Chebi (Queenie)
An area of disturbed weather developed east of the Mariana Islands on October 31, and moved west-northwestward over the next week without any increase in organization due to an unfavorable environment, until November 6, when it encountered more favorable conditions, and the Japan Meteorological Agency declared it a tropical depression on November 8. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the system later that day, and PAGASA named the system Tropical Depression Queenie shortly after. The JTWC classified it as Tropical Depression 23W early on November 9.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Chebi (Queenie)
According to the JTWC, lack of equatorial outflow prevented rapid intensification of the system. Later that day at 12 p.m. UTC, the JMA upgraded it to a tropical storm named it Chebi. The name Jebi, the correct spelling means swallow in Korean. The JTWC and PAGASA both followed suit later that day. Early on November 10, the JMA upgraded Chebi to a severe tropical storm as it continued to move west towards the Philippines, following a similar track as Typhoon Cimaron earlier in the season.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Chebi (Queenie)
Just hours later, the JMA upgraded Chebi from severe tropical storm with 10-minute sustained winds of 55 knots to a typhoon with winds of 95 knots, with a pressure decrease of 40 hPa over three hours. The JTWC followed suit, upping Chebi from a tropical storm with 1-minute sustained winds of 55 knots to a Category 4-equivalent typhoon at 9 a.m. UTC. PAGASA raised Public Storm Warning Signal No. 4 for three provinces in Luzon, making Chebi the second storm (Typhoon Cimaron served as the first one that year.) in as many weeks to force a Signal #4. After rapidly deepening, Chebi weakened as it approached the Philippines. It made its first landfall near Casiguran, Aurora early on November 11, crossed the Lingayen Gulf and its second landfall on Barangay Lucap, Alaminos about 8 hours later.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Chebi (Queenie)
Encountering dry air entrainment and increased vertical wind shear in the South China Sea, Chebi began to gradually weaken to a severe tropical storm on November 12. It continued to weaken, turning northwards towards Hainan, and was downgraded to a tropical storm the next day. On November 14, the JMA issued its last advisory on the dissipating tropical depression. The JTWC issued its final warning later that same day as Chebi dissipated under the strong shear.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Chebi (Queenie)
All told, the typhoon caused further casualties as well as damage caused by the earlier Typhoon Cimaron. After passing through Luzon, it left 1 dead and 10 injured. In Aurora Province, it caused floods, cutting the province's road system, as well as zero visibility, further isolating it from relief efforts.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Durian (Reming)
An area of disturbed weather developed southeast of Chuuk on November 24. Wind shear near the disturbance soon decreased, allowing the depression to organize a little. It was designated a tropical depression by Japan Meteorological Agency on November 25, and later that day the Joint Typhoon Warning Center started issuing warnings on the system as it moved west-northwest towards Yap. The depression strengthened because it was in an area of high sea-surface temperatures, and there were distinct cloud features of anticyclonic outflow, according to the JMA. It was upgraded to a tropical storm on the afternoon of November 26 and named Durian. The name Durian refers to a fruit, "Durio zibethinus", and was submitted to the naming list by Thailand.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Durian (Reming)
Moving west to west-northwestward, Durian intensified slowly. It became a severe tropical storm on November 27, and the next day it was named Reming by PAGASA when it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility. Later on November 28, both the JMA and JTWC upgraded it to a typhoon as it continued to track towards the Philippines. A quick bout of intensification occurred on November 29, causing the JMA to upgrade the storm to 100 knots in wind intensity, and the JTWC to give it a Dvorak classification of 6.5 (127 kn) in a satellite fix.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Durian (Reming)
In 6 hours, Durian intensified from 90 kn 1-minute sustained winds to 125 kn winds. The JTWC then forecast a direct hit over Metro Manila later that day when it upgraded the storm to a super typhoon. PAGASA raised Public Storm Warning Signal 4, its highest warning level,  over Catanduanes, Albay, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. It was the third time in 2006, and the third time in a row, that PAGASA raised Signal #4. Durian began to weaken slightly as it approached land, undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle, but quickly regained peak strength.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Durian (Reming)
PAGASA claimed that the storm made landfall on the morning of November 30 over southern Catanduanes, although the JMA and JTWC did not recognize this landfall. Durian then made another landfall after crossing the Lagonoy Gulf in northeastern Albay. After weakening due to interaction with land, Durian was downgraded back to a typhoon by the JTWC. The storm continued to move west, making landfalls on the Bondoc Peninsula in Quezon, on Marinduque and finally on Oriental Mindoro before exiting to the South China Sea.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Durian (Reming)
Encountering dry air entrainment and vertical wind shear, Durian weakened slightly at first, but slowly began to reorganise and restrengthen as it neared Vietnam. Durian began to turn slightly southwest towards Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City on December 3. Eventually, Durian began to weaken again, and by December 4, the JMA downgraded it to a severe tropical storm. The storm maintained intensity as it skirted the Vietnamese coast moving southwest. After a brief second stint at typhoon strength, Durian finally made landfall in Bến Tre Province on December 5.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Durian (Reming)
The system rapidly weakened over land, and the JMA downgraded it to a tropical storm. The JMA and JTWC issued their final advisories later that day as Durian emerged into the Gulf of Thailand as a weak tropical depression. The remnants of Durian then crossed the coast of southern Thailand as it moved into the Bay of Bengal.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Durian (Reming)
The storm killed at least 720 in the Philippines. The most damage occurred in Albay Province where the storm created mudslides of volcanic ash and boulders off Mayon Volcano. The Padang barangay of Legazpi City was severely affected with a large portion of the town covered in mud up to houses' roofs. At least 81 people have died and 16 people are missing in Vietnam from the storm.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Utor (Seniang)
On December 2, an area of convection was spotted by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center southeast of Chuuk. Although convection decreased in the next few hours, on December 5 the JTWC once again noted flaring deep convection, and late on December 6 a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert was issued. On the morning of December 7, both the JTWC and Japan Meteorological Agency-RSMC Tokyo reported that a tropical depression had formed. Soon after, the depression entered the area of responsibility of PAGASA, who named it Seniang.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Utor (Seniang)
The depression strengthened throughout the day, and the JMA upgraded it to Tropical Storm Utor later that day. The name Utor was submitted by the United States on behalf of the Marshall Islands, and is a Marshallese word for squall line. Signal no. 3 has been raised in the provinces of Cebu, Leyte, Samar Provinces.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Utor (Seniang)
On December 8, the JMA upgraded Utor to a severe tropical storm. It intensified further and was upgraded to a typhoon by the JMA on the morning of December 9, with PAGASA and JTWC doing the same. The storm made landfall shortly after noon local time the same day. After crossing the Philippines, Utor took a track similar to Typhoon Chebi in November, first moving northwest then threatening to take aim at Hong Kong. It restrengthened to an 85-kn typhoon, before it slowed as it tracked in a weak steering environment within a weakness in the subtropical ridge. It then weakened as wind shear increased and dry air entrainment occurred. The JMA downgraded it to a severe tropical storm on December 13, and to a tropical storm the same day. The next day the JTWC downgraded the storm to a tropical storm and issued its last advisory.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Utor (Seniang)
The 2006 ASEAN and East Asia Summit, originally scheduled to start December 10, was put back a month due to the storm. Typhoon Utor killed at least 78 people and left 49 others missing in the Philippines. Damages from the typhoon were estimated at $1.9 million (2006 USD).


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Utor (Seniang)
Typhoon Utor was blamed for heavy rains of up to 350 mm within 24 hours in southern Peninsular Malaysia, specifically Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Pahang, causing massive floods within the southern region on December 18, 2006, which was considered as the worst in the Malaysian southern region history. However, there were also reports a few days earlier that adverse weather was not to be blamed on the typhoon. The worst-affected areas were Segamat and Kota Tinggi, where both towns were totally inaccessible by land after all main roads leading to those towns were all flooded. Until December 24, 2006, the floods had claimed 8 lives.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Trami (Tomas)
On December 16, the Japan Meteorological Agency started issuing public bulletins on a tropical depression southwest of Guam. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center initiated warnings on Tropical Depression 26W the next day, despite having not issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert. The system was upgraded to a tropical storm by the JMA and named Trami, which is a kind of rose tree. This name was submitted by Vietnam. The storm moved west-northwest rapidly towards the Philippines, but struggled against wind shear and an approaching cold front.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Trami (Tomas)
Entering the PAGASA Area of Responsibility on December 18 as it maintained minimal tropical storm intensity, it was named Tomas. The JTWC issued its final warning later that day, having never upgraded the storm to tropical storm strength, citing no indication of a significant low-level circulation centre. On December 19, the JMA downgraded the storm to a tropical depression and issued its last public bulletin as the storm dissipated over water.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Other systems
On March 7, the JMA had upgraded a low-pressure area to a tropical depression formed by the remnants of 01W to the southeast of Mindanao, Philippines. During the next day, the system moved overland and made landfall over in Davao. The system emerged to the Sulu Sea, nearing Palawan until it weakened back into a low-pressure are on March 10. On March 11, the same system emerged to the South China Sea as the JMA had re-upgraded it back to a tropical depression. Although the system had experienced shear and became an exposed system, the depression fully dissipated late on March 12.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Other systems
On July 3, both the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and the JMA had identified a tropical depression about 200 km south of Sanya, Hainan. The depression moved northwest and made landfall a in Hainan on the same day. The depression made its second landfall over in the border of northern Vietnam and China as it rapidly deteriorated and absorbed by a front on July 4. Early on July 21, the CMA classified it as a tropical depression. The CMA issued its final warning on July 22 as it started to weaken rapidly.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Other systems
The system was absorbed by Typhoon Kaemi and fully dissipated on July 25. The JMA only classified the system as a low-pressure area throughout its lifetime. On July 28, a tropical depression had rapidly organized and persisted over in the Gulf of Tonkin and made landfall in the same location as the previous system at its peak strength with a pressure of 998 mbar. The system moved over land and fully dissipated on July 29. On September 13, two tropical depressions were monitored by the JMA. The first one persisted just south of Hong Kong and dissipated later on the same day. The second system formed from a stationary front near Taiwan and moved northwards. By September 15, the system dissipated while making landfall over in South Korea.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Other systems
A trio of tropical depressions were also monitored by the JMA during late October. The first developed on October 21 about north of the Mariana Islands. The depression moved stationary until its circulation became exposed due to shear on October 23. The other two systems were also monitored very briefly by the JMA during October 22.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Other systems
One in the South China Sea as it moved westwards and fully dissipated six hours later, where its remnants made landfall in Vietnam during the next day; whilst the other persisted over in the Philippine Sea also bringing rainfall to Luzon during October 25, just before the arrival of Typhoon Cimaron.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names
Within the North-western Pacific Ocean, both the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration assign names to tropical cyclones that develop in the Western Pacific, which can result in a tropical cyclone having two names. The Japan Meteorological Agency's RSMC Tokyo — Typhoon Center assigns international names to tropical cyclones on behalf of the World Meteorological Organization's Typhoon Committee, should they be judged to have 10-minute sustained windspeeds of 65 km/h, (40 mph).


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names
While the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration assigns names to tropical cyclones which move into or form as a tropical depression in their area of responsibility located between 135°E and 115°E and between 5°N-25°N even if the cyclone has had an international name assigned to it. The names of significant tropical cyclones are retired, by both PAGASA and the Typhoon Committee. Should the list of names for the Philippine region be exhausted then names will be taken from an auxiliary list of which the first ten are published each season. Unused names are marked in gray.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names, International names
During the season 22 tropical storms developed in the Western Pacific and each one was named by the JMA, when the system was judged to have 10-minute sustained windspeeds of 65 km/h (40 mph). The JMA selected the names from a list of 140 names, that had been developed by the 14 members nations and territories of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee. After the season the Typhoon Committee retired the names Chanchu, Bilis, Saomai, Xangsane and Durian. This ties 2006 with 2019 for the most retired international names in a typhoon season. They were replaced with Sanba, Maliksi, Son-Tinh, Leepi and Mangkhut, respectively. Also, after this season the names Kaemi and Chebi changed to Gaemi and Jebi, because it was found out that those names were misspellings.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names, Philippines
During the season PAGASA used its own naming scheme for the 19 tropical cyclones, that either developed within or moved into their self-defined area of responsibility. This was the same list than used in 2002, except Domeng, Ester, Glenda, Henry, Katring, Luis, Paeng, Queenie, Reming, Seniang, Tomas, Waldo,  Chito, Felino, Harriet and Indang, which replaced Dagul, Espada, Gloria, Hambalos, Kaka, Lagalag, Paloma, Quadro, Rapido, Sibasib, Tagbanwa, Wisik, Ciriaco, Forte, Hunyango and Itoy. The names not retired from this list to be used again in 2010. However, the name Gloria from 2002 was retired and replaced with Glenda, as it was the name of the incumbent Philippine president at that time.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names, Philippines
After the season, PAGASA had stated that the names Milenyo and Reming will be retired as they had caused over Php1 billion in damages and over 300 fatalities. They were subsequently replaced on the list with Mario and Ruby.


2006 Pacific typhoon season, Season effects
This table summarizes all the systems that developed within or moved into the North Pacific Ocean, to the west of the International Date Line during 2006. The tables also provide an overview of a systems intensity, duration, land areas affected and any deaths or damages associated with the system.


2006 Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2006 Pacific Life Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was played between March 8 and March 11, 2006 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The champion of the tournament was UCLA, which received the Pac-10's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Most Outstanding Player was Leon Powe of California.


2006 Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
All Pacific-10 schools play in the tournament. Teams are seeded by conference record, with a tiebreaker system used to seed teams with identical conference records.


2006 Pakistan landmine blast
The 2006 Pakistan landmine blast occurred on 10 March 2006, in the Pakistani city of Dera Bugti in Balochistan province. 26 people were killed and seven were injured when their car, on the way to a wedding, hit at least one anti-tank landmine. Raziq Bugti, a spokesman for the Baluchistan provincial government, said the mine was planted by rebels working for the tribal chief Nawab Akbar Bugti and that most of the victims were "women and children. Seven people were injured... there could have been more than one land mine but we have not confirmed that at this stage".


2006 Pakistani Senate election
Senate elections were held in Pakistan on 6–10 March 2006. Half of the 100 seats in the Senate were up for election with the winning candidates serving six-year terms.


2006 Palanca Awards
The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature winners in the year 2006 (rank, title of winning entry, name of author).


2006 Palau Soccer League
The 2006 season of the Palau Soccer League was the third season of association football competition in Palau. Surangel and Sons Company won the championship, their first title.


2006 Palestinian legislative election
Legislative elections were held in the Palestinian territories on 25 January 2006 in order to elect the second Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The result was a victory for Hamas, contesting under the list name of Change and Reform, which received 44.45% of the vote and won 74 of the 132 seats, whilst the ruling Fatah received 41.43% of the vote and won just 45 seats.


2006 Palestinian legislative election
The newly elected PLC met for the first time on 18 February 2006. Incumbent Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei tendered his resignation on 26 January 2006, but remained interim Prime Minister at the request of President Mahmoud Abbas. On 20 February, Hamas leader Ismail Haniya was nominated to form a new government. The new government with Haniya as Prime Minister was sworn in on 29 March.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Background
The 2006 elections were the second elections to the PLC. The first elections took place in 1996, but the subsequent elections had been postponed for many years due to disagreements between Fatah and Hamas. In March 2005, twelve Palestinian factions reached an agreement, the Palestinian Cairo Declaration, which called for elections to be held using a mixed voting system rather than the majority electoral system used in 1996.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Background
In June 2005 the PLC legislated to give effect to the Cairo Declaration, increasing its membership from 88 to 132, with half being elected by proportional representation and half by plurality-at-large voting in traditional constituencies. Palestinian voters in both the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) were eligible to participate in the elections. Earlier, the 2005 municipal elections and the 9 January 2005 presidential election had taken place.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Background
The PLC elections were originally scheduled for 17 July 2005, but on 9 August Abbas announced that they would take place in January 2006. On 20 August Abbas set election day as 25 January. On 15 January 2006, Abbas declared that, despite unrest in Gaza, he would not change the election date unless Israel prevented Palestinians in East Jerusalem from voting. Israel had already stated that it would not allow campaigning in East Jerusalem by Hamas, which had carried out the majority of terror attacks against Israel in the previous five years and refused to recognise Israel or the Oslo Accords.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Background
The United States spent $2.3 million in USAID on support for the Palestinian elections, allegedly designed to bolster the image of President Abbas and his Fatah party. USAID's Offices used discretionary spending accounts for various projects, including tree planting, schoolroom additions, a soccer tournament, street cleaning, and computers at community centers. USAID removed its usual branding requirement on its sponsored activities. As a result, the US was accused of trying to influence the outcome of the elections. The European Union supplied election observers to "assess the whole election process, including the legal framework, the political environment and campaign, electoral preparations, voting and counting as well as the post-election period".


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Electoral system
In the 1996 elections, 88 PLC members were chosen from several multi-member constituencies via block voting. In advance of the 2006 elections, the electoral law was changed to enlarge the PLC from 88 to 132 seats and to introduce a degree of proportional representation via a parallel voting system. The mixed voting system divided PLC seats into two groups: 66 seats (50%) elected by proportional representation of the Palestinian territories as a single district, and 66 seats (50%) by the majoritarian system in different electoral districts.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Electoral system
Each voter received two ballots. On the first, the voter chose one of the registered party lists. 66 of the seats were distributed proportionally (in accordance with the Sainte-Laguë method) to those lists that received more than 2% of the total list votes cast. The candidates from each list would be elected in the order they appear on the list. Each list had to include at least one woman in the first three names, at least one woman in the next four names, and at least one woman in the five names that followed.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Electoral system
The second ballot was for a voter's local electoral district, which may have more than one members to be elected. The voter could cast up to as many votes for individual candidates as there were seats in his or her district. Votes were unweighted, and the candidates with the most votes were elected. For example, a voter in the Nablus district could cast up to six votes; the six candidates with the highest number of vote were elected. In some districts, one or two seats were set aside for the Christian candidates with the most votes. For instance, in Ramallah, a five-seat district, the Christian candidate with the most votes was elected, even if he or she was not among top five candidates overall. The six seats reserved for Christians were considered the minimum quota for their representation in the PLC.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Electoral system
There were 16 electoral districts, with the number of seats in each determined by its population:


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Campaign, Fatah
Before the 2006 elections, the PLC was dominated by the Fatah movement, which held 68 of the 88 seats. However, Fatah had been beset by internal strife, with younger and more popular figures like Mohammed Dahlan (who took part in the negotiations of the 1993 Oslo Accords) and Marwan Barghouti (serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail on terrorism charges) levelling allegations of corruption against the Fatah leadership. Fatah organised primary elections to determine its candidate list, but the results were disputed and central lists were imposed in some areas.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Campaign, Fatah
The younger faction submitted a list dubbed Al-Mustaqbal ("the Future"), headed by Barghouti. However, on 28 December 2005, the leaders of the two factions agreed to submit a single list to voters, headed by Barghouti, who actively campaigned for Fatah from his jail cell. Despite this, the two groups were by no means fully reconciled.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Campaign, Change and Reform list
The Islamist Hamas movement campaigned as the Change and Reform list, and was Fatah's main political rival. It had refused to participate in the 1996 elections and viewed the Palestinian Authority as illegitimate due to its negotiations with Israel; while it did not change that position, it fielded candidates in 2006.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Campaign, Change and Reform list
The prospect of a Palestinian Authority dominated by Hamas alarmed Western governments, and which provide foreign aid that makes up almost half of the PNA's budget. It was fear of a Hamas victory that was largely credited with driving the reconciliation between the main Fatah list and the Al-Mustaqbal breakaway faction.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Campaign, Independent Palestine list
The Independent Palestine list was headed by Mustafa Barghouti, a distant relative of Marwan Barghouti. Mustafa Barghouti came in second in the 2005 Palestinian presidential election. The main component of this list was the Palestinian National Initiative. The list promised to fight corruption and nepotism, to demand the dismantling of the Israeli West Bank barrier, which it terms the "apartheid wall", and to provide "a truly democratic and independent 'third way' for the large majority of silent and unrepresented Palestinian voters, who favour neither the autocracy and corruption of the governing Fatah party, nor the fundamentalism of Hamas."


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Campaign, Abu Ali Mustafa
This list was formed by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and is named after Abu Ali Mustafa, the General Secretary of the PFLP who was assassinated by Israeli forces in 2001. The PFLP is the second largest member of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), after Fatah.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Campaign, Third Way
The Third Way list was headed by Finance Minister Salam Fayyad and former PA Minister of Higher Education and Research Hanan Ashrawi. Their platform focused on reform of the security forces, democratic improvements and socioeconomic progress.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Campaign, Third Way
In the run up to the election a Fatah leader in Nablus accused the Third Way of receiving funds from the CIA.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Campaign, The Alternative
The Alternative list was a coalition of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Palestinian People's Party, the Palestine Democratic Union (Fida), and various independents. The list was headed by Qais Abd al-Karim (Abou Leila) from the DFLP. The PPP candidate received 2.67% in the 2005 Palestinian presidential election. In the list vote, its best vote was 6.6% in Bethlehem, followed by 4.5% in Ramallah and al-Bireh and 4.0% in Nablus.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Campaign, Wa'ad
Also known as the National Coalition for Justice and Democracy, the Wa'ad list was headed by Gazan Eyad El-Sarraj, who was a consultant to the Palestinian delegation to the Camp David 2000 Summit and heads a group of Palestinian and Israeli academics working towards a peace agreement. The list's main platform is security reforms, establishing the rule of law and respect for human rights.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Opinion polls
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research polled 1,316 adults in the West bank and Gaza strip in early December 2005 on their voting intentions for the legislative poll, which indicated the following support:


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Opinion polls
A second poll by PCPSR between 29 December - 31 December covered 4560 potential voters and gave the following results:


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Opinion polls
No other lists were expected to exceed the 2% threshold.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Opinion polls
A poll from Palestinian Public Opinion Polls, conducted 5 January and 6 January, covering 1360 persons, shows a further move away from Fatah:


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Israeli obstruction
In the lead-up to the elections, on 26 September 2005 Israel launched a campaign of arrests against PLC members. 450 members of Hamas were detained, mostly those involved in the 2006 PLC elections. The majority of them were kept in administrative detention for different periods. In the election period, 15 PLC members were captured and held as political prisoners.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Israeli obstruction
During the elections, the Israeli authorities banned the candidates from holding election campaigns inside Jerusalem. Rallies and public meetings were prohibited. The Jerusalem identity cards of some PLC members were also revoked. The Carter Center, which monitored the elections, criticised the detentions of persons who "are guilty of nothing more than winning a parliamentary seat in an open and honest election".


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Israeli obstruction, Voting in East Jerusalem
On 21 December 2005, Israeli officials stated their intention to prevent voting in East Jerusalem, which, unlike most of the Palestinian-inhabited areas that are planned to participate in the election, is under Israeli civil and military control. (Israel annexed East Jerusalem in the wake of the Six-Day War; this move has not been recognized by most other governments, or by the PNA, which claims Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital.)


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Israeli obstruction, Voting in East Jerusalem
Israel's stated motivation was not the argument about sovereignty over the area (Palestinian voters in East Jerusalem had been allowed to vote in previous PNA elections despite the dispute) but concern over Hamas' participation in—and potential victory in—the election. Muhammad Abu Tir, Mustafa Barghouti, and Hanan Ashrawi were all briefly detained by Israeli police when they attempted to campaign in East Jerusalem. In response, PNA officials stated that the election would not be held if East Jerusalem voters could not participate—though this move was seen more as a pretext to postpone elections that Fatah might lose to Hamas than a debate over principle.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Israeli obstruction, Voting in East Jerusalem
After privately agreeing to use the issue as a pretext for delaying the elections again so as to avoid Hamas electoral gains, Israeli and Palestinian officials raised the issue with the United States. But President George W. Bush made clear the elections should go forward as scheduled.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Israeli obstruction, Voting in East Jerusalem
On January 10, 2006, Israeli officials announced that a limited number of Palestinians in East Jerusalem would be able to cast votes at post offices, as they did in 1996. Palestinian candidates will also be allowed to campaign in East Jerusalem as long as they register with Israeli police—and, a police spokesman noted, "Anyone who is a supporter of Hamas will not receive permission." TheIsraeli police arrested campaigners of Hamas and closed at least three Hamas election offices in East Jerusalem during the campaign.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Israeli obstruction, Voting in East Jerusalem
On the day of the election, the ballot boxes were held in Israeli Post Offices inside Jerusalem. Israeli police officers were present to monitor the proceedings of the election. At the end of the day the Israeli authorities transferred the ballot boxes to the Palestinian Authority.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Atmosphere
An 84-delegate international observer delegation monitored the elections. It judged the elections to have been peaceful and well-administered. Twenty-seven members of the European parliament were included. Edward McMillan-Scott, the British Conservative head of the European Parliament's monitoring team described the polls as "extremely professional, in line with international standards, free, transparent and without violence". His colleague, Italian Communist MEP Luisa Morgantini said there was "a very professional attitude, competence and respect for the rules." All polling stations closed on time (7 p.m.) except for East Jerusalem, where voting was extended by the permitted two extra hours. Hamas protested this extension, claiming it only served Fatah; the Central Elections Committee stated that voting hours were "extended upon the approval of the Israeli authorities due to lengthy queues as a result of obstructions by post office workers."


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Atmosphere
The militant Islamist group Islamic Jihad called on Palestinians to boycott the election.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Exit polls
Exit polls indicated that Fatah emerged with more seats than Hamas, but not a majority of PLC seats. A poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research estimated that Fatah had won 42% of the national vote and Hamas 35%; the margin of error was 4%.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Exit polls
Another exit poll, conducted by Birzeit University, largely viewed as the most authoritative estimation, had Fatah with 46.4% of the vote and Hamas with 39.5%; their tentative prediction of seat allocation had Fatah with 63 seats, four short of a majority; Hamas 58; the Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa list 3; The Third Way 2; Independent Palestine 2; The Alternative 2; and two independents.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Exit polls
Leaders from both Hamas and Fatah, however, announced on Thursday morning that Hamas was expected to win a majority. Ismail Haniya, who topped the Change and Reform (Hamas) list claimed "Hamas has won more than 70 seats in Gaza and the West Bank". Another Hamas leader, Musheer al-Masri claimed the party expected to win 77 seats. Aljazeera reported Fatah officials conceding defeat. Prime minister Ahmed Qurei resigned on Thursday morning, along with his cabinet, saying it now fell to Hamas to form a government. Hamas leader al-Masri called for a "political partnership" with Fatah, but prominent Fatah leader, Jibril Rajoub, rejected a coalition and called on Fatah to form a "responsible opposition".


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Exit polls
On the major single concerns governing voting, 37% considered it to be Safety and Security, while 25% favoured Decreased Corruption.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Exit polls
An exit poll conducted by Near East Consulting on 15 February 2006 on voters participating in the 2006 PA elections revealed the following responses to major concerns:


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Exit polls
World Public Opinion summarised the election voting drivers as follows:


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Exit polls
The decisive victory of the militant Islamic group Hamas in last month's Palestinian legislative elections (winning 74 of 132 parliamentary seats) has raised the question of whether the Palestinian public has become aligned with Hamas' rejection of Israel's right to exist and its stated goal of creating an Islamic state covering all of historic Palestine, including what is now Israel. Hamas has come under increasing pressure to renounce its goal of eliminating Israel, but Hamas leaders have refused.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Exit polls
However, new polling following the election indicated that two-thirds of Palestinians believed Hamas should change its policy of rejecting Israel's right to exist. Most also supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Post-election polls indicated that Hamas' victory was due largely to Palestinians' desire to end corruption in government rather than support for the organization's political platform.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Conduct, Independent Observer reactions
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) in partnership with The Carter Center reported "a professional and impartial performance of election officials". The European Union delegation reported "there was nothing which would indicate that the final result was not the outcome chosen by the voters". A CRS Report for Congress on the 2006 elections concluded: "The election was overseen by 17,268 domestic observers, complemented by 900 credentialed international monitors. ... The Bush Administration accepted the outcome of the Palestinian legislative elections and praised the PA for holding free and fair elections. ... The conduct of the election was widely considered to be free and fair."


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Results
The Central Elections Commission released the final results on Sunday, 29 January 2006, and announced that Change and Reform (Hamas) had won 74 of the 132 seats, while Fatah trailed with 45.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Results
According to the results, Hamas won the large majority of the constituency seats but was more narrowly ahead on the lists. Fatah did beat Hamas in the constituencies in Qalqilya, Rafah, and Jericho. Jenin was split evenly, and Fatah won the seats reserved for Christians in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Ramallah.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Results
The Central Elections Commission said turnout was 74.6%–76.0% in the Gaza Strip and 73.1% in the West Bank.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, New government
The Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurei, resigned, but at the request of President Mahmoud Abbas, remained as interim Prime Minister until 19 February 2006. On 29 March 2006 a new government was formed by Hamas leader Ismail Haniya.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Detention of Ministers and MPs
After the kidnap of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on 25 June 2006, Israel launched a series of raids into Gaza and West Bank. Israel destroyed civilian infrastructure and arrested dozens of Hamas supporters, including elected cabinet ministers and members of the PLC. On 28 June overnight, the army invaded Gaza and performed airstrikes, bombing infrastructure such as bridges and an electricity station. On 29 June, the IDF detained from the West Bank 8 ministers and 26 PLC members in addition to many other political leaders.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Detention of Ministers and MPs
By August 2006, Israel had arrested 49 senior Hamas officials, all from the West Bank, including 33 parliamentarians, "because technically they were members of a terrorist organisation although they may not be involved in terrorist acts themselves". Most of the detainees were strong moderated members within Hamas, urging leaders in Gaza to recognise Israel and ensure the party is acceptable to the international community. Hamas has accused Israel of trying to destroy the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Sanctions
Economic sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority and individual PLC members elected for Hamas were imposed by Israel and the Quartet on the Middle East against the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian territories.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Sanctions
On 28 January 2006, Israel said it would prevent Hamas leaders, including newly elected PLC deputies, from travelling between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. On 29 January, Ehud Olmert said that after Hamas sets up a Government, Israel would stop transferring to the PA custom duties and taxes it had collected on their behalf until it was satisfied that they would not end up in the hands of "terrorists".


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Sanctions
US Secretary of State Rice  declared that "The United States wants other nations to cut off aid to a Hamas-led Palestinian Government, also ruling out any US financial assistance to a Hamas Government." On 17 February, one day before the new parliament was sworn in, the then Fatah-led government returned $50 million US aid that Washington did not want to come in the hands of the new government. The money had been intended for infrastructure projects in Gaza.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Sanctions
On 30 January, the Quartet called for reviewing support for the future government against its commitment to the principles of nonviolence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Questioning the right to govern
Prior to the 2006 elections Israel had concerns that Hamas might win enough seats that it could demand a position in government. US President George Bush was not willing to press for Hamas' exclusion from the election process. Abu Mazen (Abbas) was confident that Fatah would win the elections, as was Bush, who urged that the elections should take place. The Guardian observed that the unforeseen election win by Hamas "was seen as an affront to the central premise of the Bush administration's policy in the Middle East - that democratic elections would inexorably lead to pro-western governments".


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Fatah post-election impediments
PA Prime Minister Qureia and his Cabinet resigned even before the final results were officially announced. Fatah refused to join a new Hamas-led coalition. President Abbas would ask Hamas to form the next Government. On 26 January 2006, Fatah leader Saeb Erakat said his party did not want to join a Hamas Government. The Fatah Central Committee decided that Fatah will not join the next Government, but said it would depend on President Abbas.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Fatah post-election impediments
On 28 January 2006, Hamas declared it would try to form a Government of technocrats, if a government with Fatah and all the political groups was not possible. On 29 January 2006, PLC deputies from Fatah confirmed after talks with Abbas that their faction would not join Hamas in a coalition Government and would prefer to sit in opposition, despite calls by Hamas for a "political partnership". The decision was, however, not discussed and ratified by the Fatah Central Committee.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Fatah post-election impediments
Hamas formed a government without Fatah, the secular party that had dominated Palestinian politics for decades. Ismail Haniyeh was nominated as Prime Minister on 16 February 2006 and sworn in on 29 March 2006. Conditions on the ground deteriorated almost immediately, as Fatah did not take defeat easily. Fatah-Hamas tensions were expressed in a significant deterioration of law and order, and incidents of open violence between the two groups led to dozens of deaths, particularly in the Gaza Strip. In September 2006, with Fatah support, the public sector, which had hardly been paid since March, went on strike. The Fatah "inclusionists" wanted to help Hamas become more moderate, so that a coalition would become possible. Fatah's "old guard," on the other hand, wanted to exclude Hamas from the political process, by ensuring its failure.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Fatah post-election impediments
After months of intermittent talks, on 8 February 2007, Fatah and Hamas signed an agreement to form a national unity government aimed at ending both the spasm of violence and the international aid embargo that followed the formation of the initial Hamas-led government.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Fatah post-election impediments
After the takeover in Gaza by Hamas on 14 June 2007 in the Battle of Gaza (2007), Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the Hamas-led coalition government and on 15 June 2007 appointed Salam Fayyad as Prime Minister to form a new government. Hamas objected to this move as being illegal. Though the new government's authority is claimed to extend to all Palestinian territories, in effect it is limited to the Palestinian Authority controlled areas of the West Bank and excludes Gaza. Thus Hamas' right to lead a Palestinian Authority government had come to an end.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
Just before the January 2006 elections, and after witnessing Hamas' gains in municipal polls, the House of Representatives passed H.Res. 575 (December 16, 2005), asserting that terrorist groups, like Hamas, should not be permitted to participate in Palestinian elections until such organizations "recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, cease incitement, condemn terrorism, and permanently disarm and dismantle their terrorist infrastructure." The Palestinian Authority chose to ignore this external decision: "the Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas has favored an unconditional acceptance of Hamas's electoral participation, believing that it could co-opt Hamas within the Palestinian political fold".


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
The New York Times reported in February 2006 that "The United States and Israel are discussing ways to destabilize the Palestinian government so that newly elected Hamas officials will fail and elections will be called again. The intention is to starve the Palestinian Authority of money and international connections to the point where, some months from now, its president, Mahmoud Abbas, is compelled to call a new election."


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
Just how much further matters would be taken was revealed in April 2008. Tom Segev (in Ha'aretz) reported:


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
a "confidential document, a 'talking points' memo, was left by the U.S. consul general in Jerusalem, Jake Walles, on the desk of Mahmoud Abbas . … According to the paper left behind … he wanted to pressure Abu Mazen to take action that would annul the outcome of the elections that had catapulted Hamas to power. … When nothing happened, Walles … warned the Palestinian president that the time had come to act. Instead, Abu Mazen launched negotiations with Hamas on the establishment of a unity government. … At this point the Americans moved to "Plan B." That was a plan to eliminate Hamas by force. In fact, it was to be a deliberately fomented civil war Fatah was supposed to win, with U.S. help."


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
There is no one more hated among Hamas members than Muhammad Dahlan, long Fatah's resident strongman in Gaza. Dahlan, who most recently served as Abbas's national-security adviser, has spent more than a decade battling Hamas. … Bush has met Dahlan on at least three occasions. After talks at the White House in July 2003, Bush publicly praised Dahlan as "a good, solid leader." In private, say multiple Israeli and American officials, the U.S. president described him as "our guy."


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
Vanity Fair has obtained confidential documents, since corroborated by sources in the U.S. and Palestine, which lay bare a covert initiative, approved by Bush and implemented by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams, to provoke a Palestinian civil war. The plan was for forces led by Dahlan, and armed with new weapons supplied at America's behest, to give Fatah the muscle it needed to remove the democratically elected Hamas-led government from power. (The State Department declined to comment.)


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
Some sources call the scheme "Iran-contra 2.0," recalling that Abrams was convicted (and later pardoned) for withholding information from Congress during the original Iran-contra scandal under President Reagan. There are echoes of other past misadventures as well: the C.I.A. 's 1953 ouster of an elected prime minister in Iran, which set the stage for the 1979 Islamic revolution there; the aborted 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, which gave Fidel Castro an excuse to solidify his hold on Cuba; and the contemporary tragedy in Iraq.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
The Jerusalem Post confirmed that the documents cited by Vanity Fair "have been corroborated by sources at the US State Department and Palestinian officials", and added:


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
The report said that instead of driving its enemies out of power, the US-backed Fatah fighters inadvertently provoked Hamas to seize total control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007. David Wurmser, who resigned as Vice President Dick Cheney's chief Middle East adviser a month after the Hamas takeover, said he believed that Hamas had no intention of taking over the Gaza Strip until Fatah forced its hand. "It looks to me that what happened wasn't so much a coup by Hamas but an attempted coup by Fatah that was preempted before it could happen," he was quoted as saying.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
Wurmser said that the Bush administration engaged in a "dirty war in an effort to provide a corrupt dictatorship [led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] with victory." Wurmser said he was especially galled by the Bush administration's hypocrisy. "There is a stunning disconnect between the president's call for Middle East democracy and this policy," he said. "It directly contradicts it. ".


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
The original article was cited by the Irish Times, the Israeli historian and political analyst, Tom Segev, in an article entitled "Bay of Pigs in Gaza", and also by Suzanne Goldenburg of The Guardian, who added "A state department memo put the cost for salaries, training and weapons at $1.27bn (£640m) over five years."


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
The 2008 exposé by Vanity Fair (of plans to reverse the democratic 2006 PA parliamentary elections) confirmed a CF Report of January 2007, over a year earlier, by Alistair Crooke:


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
Deputy National Security Advisor, Elliott Abrams … has had it about for some months now that the U.S. is not only not interested in dealing with Hamas, it is working to ensure its failure. In the immediate aftermath of the Hamas elections, last January, Abrams greeted a group of Palestinian businessmen in his White House office with talk of a "hard coup" against the newly-elected Hamas government — the violent overthrow of their leadership with arms supplied by the United States. While the businessmen were shocked, Abrams was adamant — the U.S. had to support Fatah with guns, ammunition and training, so that they could fight Hamas for control of the Palestinian government.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
Over the last twelve months, the United States has supplied guns, ammunition and training to Palestinian Fatah activists to take on Hamas in the streets of Gaza and the West Bank. A large number of Fatah activists have been trained and "graduated" from two camps — one in Ramallah and one in Jericho.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
The supplies of rifles and ammunition, which started as a mere trickle, has now become a torrent (Haaretz reports the U.S. has designated an astounding $86.4 million for Abu Mazen's security detail), and while the program has gone largely without notice in the American press, it is openly talked about and commented on in the Arab media.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
Of course, in public, Secretary Rice appears contrite and concerned with "the growing lawlessness" among Palestinians, while failing to mention that such lawlessness is exactly what the Abrams plan was designed to create."


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
Voice of America reported that the Bush administration had denied the Vanity Fair report.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, US post-election impediments
In 2016 a 2006 audio tape emerged that contains an interview by Eli Chomsky of the Jewish Press with Hillary Clinton. Clinton opined that pushing for elections "in the Palestinian territories ... was a big mistake", adding "(a)nd if we were going to push for an election, then we should have made sure that we did something to determine who was going to win."


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Israeli post-election impediments
On 31 January 2006, Israel's Defence Minister Mofaz said Hamas' election victory gives Israel an incentive to decide in favour of a unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank and that Israel would have to set new defensible borders for itself.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Israeli post-election impediments
Israel's cabinet has approved punitive sanctions on the Palestinian Authority, now dominated by militant group Hamas. Israel will withhold an estimated $50m (£28m) in monthly customs revenues due to the Palestinian Authority, as well as impose travel restrictions on Hamas members.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Israeli post-election impediments
In 1997 the US Secretary of State at the time, Madeleine Albright, had characterised such withholdings by Israel of revenue funds from the Palestinian authorities, as illegal.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Israeli post-election impediments
In June 2006 an Israeli military official said a total of 64 Hamas officials were arrested in the early morning round-up. Of those, Palestinian officials said seven were ministers in Hamas' 23-member Cabinet and 20 others were MPs in the 72-seat parliament." "We have no government, we have nothing. They have all been taken," said Saeb Erekat, an ally of the moderate Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Israeli post-election impediments
In June 2007 the Washington Post reported: "Hamas … leaders have accused Fatah's security services of working on behalf of Israeli and American interests because of a $40 million U.S. aid package to strengthen Abbas's forces. … The Israeli government has openly supported Fatah forces against Hamas, whose tightening control of Gaza alarmed Israeli defense officials.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Israeli post-election impediments
In a wikileaks cable dated 13 June 2007, Shin Bet security chief Yuval Diskin told U.S. Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones that: "Fatah had thus turned to Israel for help in attack Hamas", which he termed a new and unprecedented development in Jerusalem's relations with the Palestinian Authority.


2006 Palestinian legislative election, Aftermath, Israeli post-election impediments
In the cable sent to Washington, Jones said that Yadlin had been quite satisfied with Hamas' seizure of the Gaza Strip. If Hamas managed to take complete control then the Israel Defense Forces would be able to relate to Gaza as a hostile territory and stop looking at the militant group as an undiplomatic player, Yadlin apparently told Jones."


2006 Palmer Cup
The 2006 Palmer Cup was held on 29–30 June 2006 at Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Europe won 19½–4½.


2006 Palmer Cup, Format
On Thursday, there were four matches of four-ball in the morning, followed by eight singles matches in the afternoon. Four foursomes matches were played on the Friday morning with a further eight singles in the afternoon. In all, 24 matches were played.


2006 Palmer Cup, Format
Each of the 24 matches was worth one point in the larger team competition. If a match was all square after the 18th hole, each side earned half a point toward their team total. The team that accumulated at least 12½ points won the competition.


2006 Palmer Cup, Teams
Eight college golfers from Europe and the United States participated in the event.


2006 Palmer Cup, Michael Carter award
The Michael Carter Award winners were Steve Lewton and Clay Ogden.


2006 Pan American Aerobic Gymnastics Championships
The 2006 Pan American Aerobic Gymnastics Championships were held in San Cristóbal, Venezuela, December 12–17, 2006. The competition was organized by the Venezuelan Gymnastics Federation.


2006 Pan American Cycling Championships
The 2006 Pan American Cycling Championships took place at the Caleirasen Velodrome, São Paulo, Brazil,  June 4–11, 2006. Cuba led the championship with twelve medals.


2006 Pan American Fencing Championships
The 2006 Pan American Fencing Championships were held in Valencia, Venezuela from 26 June to 28 June 2006. The only team events were in men's and women's foil.


2006 Pan American Judo Championships
The 2006 Pan American Judo Championships were held in Centro Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 25 May to 26 May 2006.


2006 Pan American Men's Handball Championship
The 2006 Pan American Men's Handball Championship was the twelfth edition of the tournament, held in Aracaju, Brazil from 6 to 10 June 2006. It acted as the American qualifying tournament for the 2007 World Championship, where the top three placed team qualied.


2006 Pan American Men's Youth Handball Championship
The 2006 American Handball Men's Youth Championships took place in Blumenau from August 29 – September 2. It acts as the Pan American qualifying tournament for the 2007 Men's Youth World Handball Championship.


2006 Pan American Trampoline and Tumbling Championships
The 2006 Pan American Trampoline and Tumbling Championships were held in Monterrey, Mexico, August 18–19, 2006.


2006 Pan American Women's Youth Handball Championship
The 2006 American Handball Women's Youth Championships took place in Blumenau from August 29 – September 2.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The tenth edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course (50 m) event, was held in 2006 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, from August 17–20. Six world records were tallied compared to one from the 2002 edition. This edition was slower than it would have been because of the lack of a full strength Australian team, one of the strongest teams in the world. This made it a common situation that swimmers in the B final were swimming fast enough to place in the top 3 since no country is allowed to have more than 2 swimmers in either final heat.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre backstroke
The men's 100 metre backstroke competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 17 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Aaron Peirsol of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre backstroke
This race consisted of two lengths of the pool, all in backstroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre backstroke, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre backstroke, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 17, at 10:47.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre backstroke, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 17, at 19:24.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre backstroke, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 17, at 19:24.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre breaststroke
The men's 100 metre breaststroke competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 18 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Kosuke Kitajima of Japan.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre breaststroke
This race consisted of two lengths of the pool, both lengths being in breaststroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre breaststroke, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre breaststroke, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 18, at 10:33.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre breaststroke, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 18, at 18:46.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre breaststroke, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 18, at 18:46.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre butterfly
The men's 100 metre butterfly competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 19 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Ian Crocker of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre butterfly
This race consisted of two lengths of the pool, all in butterfly.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre butterfly, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre butterfly, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 19, at 10:52.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre butterfly, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 19, at 18:57.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre butterfly, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 19, at 18:57.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre freestyle
The men's 100 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 18 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Ian Thorpe of Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre freestyle
This race consisted of two lengths of the pool, both lengths being in freestyle.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre freestyle, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 18, at 10:12.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre freestyle, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 18, at 18:12.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 100 metre freestyle, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 18, at 18:12.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 1500 metre freestyle
The men's 1500 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 20 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Grant Hackett of Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 1500 metre freestyle
This event was a timed-final where each swimmer swam just once. The top 8 seeded swimmers swam in the evening, and the remaining swimmers swam in the morning session.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 1500 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 1500 metre freestyle, Results
The first round was held on August 20, at 11:21, and the final was held on August 20, at 20:05.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre backstroke
The men's 200 metre backstroke competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 19 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Aaron Peirsol of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre backstroke
This race consisted of four lengths of the pool, all in backstroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre backstroke, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre backstroke, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 19, at 11:14.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre backstroke, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 19, at 19:33.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre backstroke, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 19, at 19:33.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre breaststroke
The men's 200 metre breaststroke competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 20 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Brendan Hansen of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre breaststroke
This race consisted of four lengths of the pool, all in breaststroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre breaststroke, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre breaststroke, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 20, at 10:49.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre breaststroke, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 20, at 19:41.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre breaststroke, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 20, at 19:41.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre butterfly
The men's 200 metre butterfly competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 17 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Tom Malchow of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre butterfly
This race consisted of four lengths of the pool, all lengths being in butterfly stroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre butterfly, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre butterfly, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 17, at 10:52.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre butterfly, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 17, at 20:00.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre butterfly, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 17, at 20:00.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre freestyle
The men's 200 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 17 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Ian Thorpe of Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre freestyle
This race consisted of four lengths of the pool, all in freestyle.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre freestyle, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 17, at 10:20.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre freestyle, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 17, at 18:43.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre freestyle, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 17, at 18:43.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre individual medley
The men's 200 metre individual medley competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 20 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Michael Phelps of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre individual medley
This race consisted of four lengths of the pool, one each in backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle swimming.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre individual medley, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre individual medley, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 20, at 10:13.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre individual medley, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 20, at 18:28.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 200 metre individual medley, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 20, at 18:28.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay
The men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 19 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay
This race consisted of eight lengths of the pool. Each of the four swimmers completed two lengths of the pool. The first swimmer had to touch the wall before the second could leave the starting block.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay
The men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 20 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was the United States.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay, Results, Final
This event was a timed-final with two heats. The final was held on August 20, at 20:40.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
The men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 18 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
This race consisted of sixteen lengths of the pool. Each of the four swimmers completed four lengths of the pool. The first swimmer had to touch the wall before the second could leave the starting block.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre freestyle
The men's 400 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 19 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Ian Thorpe of Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre freestyle
This race consisted of eight lengths of the pool, with all eight being in the freestyle stroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre freestyle, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 19, at 10:21.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre freestyle, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 19, at 18:18.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre freestyle, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 19, at 18:18.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre individual medley
The men's 400 metre individual medley competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 18 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Michael Phelps of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre individual medley
This race consisted of eight lengths of the pool. The first two lengths were swum using the butterfly stroke, the second pair with the backstroke, the third pair of lengths in breaststroke, and the final two were freestyle.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre individual medley, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre individual medley, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 18, at 10:58.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre individual medley, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 18, at 19:28.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 400 metre individual medley, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 18, at 19:28.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 50 metre freestyle
The men's 50 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 20 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Jason Lezak of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 50 metre freestyle
This race consisted of one length of the pool in freestyle.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 50 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 50 metre freestyle, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 20, at 10:30.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 50 metre freestyle, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 20, at 19:07.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 50 metre freestyle, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 20, at 19:07.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 800 metre freestyle
The men's 800 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 17 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Grant Hackett of Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 800 metre freestyle
This event was a timed-final where each swimmer swam just once. The top 8 seeded swimmers swam in the evening, and the remaining swimmers swam in the morning session.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 800 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Men's 800 metre freestyle, Results
The first round was held on August 17, at 11:30, and the final was held on August 17, at 18:15.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre backstroke
The women's 100 metre backstroke competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 17 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Natalie Coughlin of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre backstroke
This race consisted of two lengths of the pool, all in backstroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre backstroke, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre backstroke, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 17, at 10:39.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre backstroke, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 17, at 19:12.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre backstroke, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 17, at 19:12.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre breaststroke
The women's 100 metre breaststroke competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 18 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Amanda Beard of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre breaststroke
This race consisted of two lengths of the pool, both lengths being in breaststroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre breaststroke, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre breaststroke, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 18, at 10:27.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre breaststroke, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 18, at 18:34.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre breaststroke, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 18, at 18:34.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre butterfly
The women's 100 metre butterfly competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 19 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Natalie Coughlin of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre butterfly
This race consisted of two lengths of the pool, all in butterfly.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre butterfly, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre butterfly, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 19, at 10:45.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre butterfly, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 19, at 18:45.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre butterfly, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 19, at 18:45.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre freestyle
The women's 100 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 18 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Natalie Coughlin of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre freestyle
This race consisted of two lengths of the pool, both lengths being in freestyle.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre freestyle, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 18, at 10:00.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre freestyle, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 18, at 18:00.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 100 metre freestyle, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 18, at 18:00.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 1500 metre freestyle
The women's 1500 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 17 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Diana Munz of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 1500 metre freestyle
This event was a timed-final where each swimmer swam just once. The top 8 seeded swimmers swam in the evening, and the remaining swimmers swam in the morning session.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 1500 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 1500 metre freestyle, Results
The first round was held on August 17, at 11:12, and the final was held on August 17, at 20:14.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre backstroke
The women's 200 metre backstroke competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 19 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Margaret Hoelzer of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre backstroke
This race consisted of four lengths of the pool, all in backstroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre backstroke, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre backstroke, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 19, at 11:01.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre backstroke, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 19, at 19:19.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre backstroke, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 19, at 19:19.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke
The women's 200 metre breaststroke competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 20 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Amanda Beard of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke
This race consisted of four lengths of the pool, all in breaststroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 20, at 10:38.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 20, at 19:27.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre breaststroke, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 20, at 19:27.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre butterfly
The women's 200 metre butterfly competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 17 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Petria Thomas of Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre butterfly
This race consisted of four lengths of the pool, all lengths being in butterfly stroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre butterfly, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre butterfly, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 17, at 10:57.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre butterfly, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 17, at 19:46.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre butterfly, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 17, at 19:46.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre freestyle
The women's 200 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 17 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Lindsay Benko of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre freestyle
This race consisted of four lengths of the pool, all in freestyle.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre freestyle, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 17, at 10:00.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre freestyle, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 17, at 18:29.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre freestyle, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 17, at 18:29.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre individual medley
The women's 200 metre individual medley competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 20 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Tomoko Hagiwara of Japan.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre individual medley
This race consisted of four lengths of the pool, one each in backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle swimming.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre individual medley, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre individual medley, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 20, at 10:00.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre individual medley, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 20, at 18:14.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 200 metre individual medley, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 20, at 18:14.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay
The women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 19 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay
This race consisted of eight lengths of the pool. Each of the four swimmers completed two lengths of the pool. The first swimmer had to touch the wall before the second could leave the starting block.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay
The women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 20 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
The women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 18 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was the United States.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay
This race consisted of sixteen lengths of the pool. Each of the four swimmers completed four lengths of the pool. The first swimmer had to touch the wall before the second could leave the starting block.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle
The women's 400 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 17 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Diana Munz of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle
This race consisted of eight lengths of the pool, with all eight being in the freestyle stroke.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 19, at 10:00.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 19, at 18:00.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 19, at 18:00.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre individual medley
The women's 400 metre individual medley competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 18 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Jennifer Reilly of Australia.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre individual medley
This race consisted of eight lengths of the pool. The first two lengths were swum using the butterfly stroke, the second pair with the backstroke, the third pair of lengths in breaststroke, and the final two were freestyle.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre individual medley, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre individual medley, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 18, at 10:40.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre individual medley, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 18, at 19:08.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 400 metre individual medley, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 18, at 19:08.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 50 metre freestyle
The women's 50 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 20 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Jenny Thompson of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 50 metre freestyle
This race consisted of one length of the pool in freestyle.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 50 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 50 metre freestyle, Results, Heats
The first round was held on August 20, at 10:24.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 50 metre freestyle, Results, B Final
The B final was held on August 20, at 18:57.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 50 metre freestyle, Results, A Final
The A final was held on August 20, at 18:57.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 800 metre freestyle
The women's 800 metre freestyle competition at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships took place on August 20 at the Saanich Commonwealth Place. The last champion was Diana Munz of US.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 800 metre freestyle
This event was a timed-final where each swimmer swam just once. The top 8 seeded swimmers swam in the evening, and the remaining swimmers swam in the morning session.


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 800 metre freestyle, Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Pan Pacific records were as follows:


2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships – Women's 800 metre freestyle, Results
The first round was held on August 20, at 11:01, and the final was held on August 20, at 18:00.


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum
The Panama Canal expansion referendum was held on October 22, 2006, when the citizens of Panama approved the Panama Canal expansion project by a wide margin.


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Constitutional background
According to article 325 of the Panamanian Constitution, any proposal for the construction of a third set of locks or a sea-level Canal on the existing route that the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) proposes has to be approved by the executive branch and submitted to the National Assembly for its approval or rejection. It also has to be submitted to a national referendum no earlier than three months after its approval by the National Assembly.


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Proposal
The Panama Canal expansion proposal was presented on April 24, 2006 by President Martín Torrijos to the Panamanian people after years of study by the ACP. The largest project at the Canal since its original construction, the expansion will double its capacity and allow more traffic.


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Proposal
The project will create a new lane of traffic along the Canal through the construction of a new set of locks. Details of the project include the following integrated components:


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Proposal
According to the ACP, the project will have an estimated cost of US$5.25 billion, will be self-financed by tolls increase and will take up to 7 or 8 years of construction time.


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Proposal
Panama's Cabinet approved the project, and on July 14, the National Assembly unanimously approved the proposal to expand the Canal. In addition, the Assembly created and passed a law mandating a national referendum in which the people of Panama would vote to approve expansion. The referendum was held on October 22, 2006, the first Sunday at least 90 days after the legislation was signed.


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Referendum question
The referendum used a single ballot divided in half with Sí (Yes) at the left with a green background and No at the right with a red background. Above these two options the text of the question read:


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Campaign
Opposition to the project was vigorous as skeptics questioned the government's cost estimates and raised fears that corruption would doom the project. But the government's campaign for the expansion, the largest modernization of the canal in its history, was even more intense. Officials portrayed a "sí" vote as a vote for the children of Panama. Without an expanded canal, officials predicted, shipping traffic would find other routes and Panama's growing economy would dry up.


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Polls
The dates listed are normally the date the survey was concluded, not the date it was published. Most news and political affairs sources use the convention of using the last date that the poll was conducted in order to establish the inclusion/exclusion of current events. Only polls after the proposal unveiling (April 24, 2006) are included.


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Polls
The margin of error in these surveys is typically between 2 and 2.9%. See the links for actual error values associated with particular surveys.


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Voting
The voting process went smoothly, without major events that could tamper the results. The voter turnout was low, 43.32%. Voting took place on schedule from 7am to 4pm but people still in line at that time were allowed to vote. Unofficial results were made known by the Electoral Tribunal by its system of unofficial results reporting, just 30 minutes after the voting ended. This system consists of series of data-collecting centers that communicate with the Panama City Press Room of the Electoral Tribunal.


2006 Panama Canal expansion referendum, Voting
This centers receive the unofficial results given by each polling station by phone, cell phone and other means, while the official results begin their journey to the different counting centers. This system has proved highly successful in previous elections and has given almost the same results as the official count. Under this system, by 6 p.m. (2 hours after the voting ended) the results of approximately 25% of polling stations were available and the likely approval of the project was known. However, the official results are the responsibility of the National Scrutiny Junta, and that took some days (3) as official declarations came from all over the country to Panama City.