Ref: 08/2022

Date: 29 March 2022

On Tuesday, 29 March 2022, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) held an online panel discussion via Zoom titled: “17 years of absence: local elections in the Gaza Strip,” with the participation of representative of civil society organizations (CSOs), politicians, academics and those interested.

The panel discussed the disruption of local elections in the Gaza Strip since 2005; ways to overcome the current gridlock; the restoration of the democratic process; and the Palestinian people’s right to elect their representatives. Also, the panel addressed the reality of local elections since the political division in 2007; the importance of holding elections in the Gaza Strip, and the impact of their absence; as well as the obstacles hindering elections. The panel discussion aimed to promote community debating to brainstorm feasible recommendations for rescheduling the Gaza Strip municipal elections within the current local elections, the first stage of which begun on 11 December 2021 in the West Bank.

Hamdi Shaqqura, PCHR’s Deputy Director for Program Affairs, opened the panel  discussion and highlighted its aim to find solutions and scenarios for holding local elections in the Gaza Strip, which have been suspended for 17 years; meanwhile, elections were held in the West Bank during that period more than once. Shaqqura emphasized that elections have been historically recognized and respected in Palestine, and it was a recognized right even during the British Mandate. He stressed the importance of holding local elections in the Gaza strip similarly to the West Bank.

During, participants made interventions where they expressed their opinions on the importance of elections to local councils, as the latter directly provides basic services for the public. They also indicated that the disruption of local elections, especially in the Gaza Strip, is not attributed to legal or procedural reasons, but it is rather the result of the Palestinian division and the absence of political will. Participants emphasized that the absence of local elections is a symptom of the paralyzed democratic process in Palestine, as neither have general elections been held since 2006.

Some participants pointed out that the local elections that were held in the West Bank, particularly in the 2nd phase, proved that all parties are willing to participate in the elections, even those who had not participated directly or formally. This fact poses an important question as to the true reason behind the disagreement over holding the elections in the Gaza Strip.

Furthermore, some participants held all parties responsible for the absence of elections in the Gaza Strip and stressed that everyone is responsible for finding solutions to make elections possible.

The majority of the participants shared the belief that popular pressure is the only solution to enable the Palestinian people to enjoy their right to vote in general, and to participate in local elections in the Gaza Strip in particular. One of the participants said that the Palestinian Authority should have opened a dialogue with all parties before setting a date for elections.

For his part, Hisham Kuhail, Executive Director of the Central Elections Committee, pointed out that local elections were held periodically in the West Bank; unlike the Gaza Strip. He stressed the need to find ways to enable citizens to elect their representatives in local councils.

Moreover, Kuhail clarified that the  main reason for not holding the elections is the division and its consequences, highlighting the negative implications of not adhering to periodic elections; he stressed the importance of holding local elections in the Gaza Strip without obstacles.

Kuhail explained the role of the Central Election Commission with regard to coordination between the various parties to hold elections and spoke about the correspondence between the Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Dr. Hanna Nasir, and Hamas Movement last January, concerning the Movement’s position on holding elections in Gaza, in the second phase.

At the end of the panel discussion, the participants made their recommendations; the following are the most prominent:

• Calling for holding serious dialogue and agreeing on all procedural details before setting the elections date to ensure that they are held simultaneously in all local councils in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• Putting pressure on all parties to overcome obstacles and hold local elections in the Gaza Strip as an integral part of the electoral process in general.
• The need for popular action and initiatives to pressure political parties, including Fatah and Hamas Movements, to demand local elections in the Gaza Strip.