Arab students at Iowa State now look for a hopeful future for Palestinians after leading candidate and former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas was elected president.

In the first election held in nearly a decade, Abbas received 62 percent of the vote, while his main challenger, Mustafa Barghouti, human rights activist, received 19 percent of the vote.

The presidential election was the first since 1996 and was made necessary after the death of the previous Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat.

Eric McGlinchey, assistant professor in political science, said Abbas seems to have the experience and moderate disposition to secure peace.

“Palestinians perceived Abbas as someone who was more willing to negotiate with the Israelis,” McGlinchey said.

For many Palestinians, Abbas’ election has brought hope that the area currently known as Palestine will be recognized as a state, McGlinchey said.

Sana Akili, adviser to the Arab Student Association at Iowa State, was born and raised in Syria and said the election could be a turning point for the region.

“I hope this election can be the beginning of an era, not a continuation of the mess of the past,” Akili said.

She said the Arab Student Association focuses on Arab culture more than the politics of certain areas, but many people in the association followed the election.

She said there was a high voter turnout even though people outside Palestine were not able to vote in the election.

McGlinchey said Abbas was hoping for a landslide victory to ensure a peaceful transition of power.

With that done, Abbas has already made his first gesture toward Israel. He said he wants to restart peace talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was pleased with Abbas’ victory but said he will be tested based on the way in which he fights terrorism and dismantles their infrastructure.

The issue that most agree on is the need to crackdown on militants in the region.

— The Associated Press and BBC

contributed to this article.