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PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PRESS RELEASE |
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Ref: 44/2005
Date: 29 March 2005
News Release
Mr. Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, has sent a letter to Mr. Jamal al-Shoubaki, President of the Palestinian Higher Committee for Local Elections (HCLE). The letter is annexed to PCHR’s Evaluation Report of 10 local council’s elections in the Gaza Strip which were held on 27 January 2005. PCHR monitored these elections which were part of the first stage of scheduled local elections that included 36 councils in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. PCHR has highly appreciated the role played by HCLE to date in organizing local elections and hopes that other stages of local elections will be held as scheduled to reinforce the process of democratic reform and the rule of law.
On 13 March 2005 PCHR published its Evaluation Report. As PCHR noted in its earlier preliminary evaluation, the comprehensive evaluation concluded that the elections were carried out in a peaceful and fair manner and were a success. PCHR noted that there were a number of violations documented by PCHR observers but believe that these violations did not significantly alter the final outcome. However, PCHR requests that its observations be noted in order to avoid any similar violations in the next set of local elections.
PCHR has recently began preparations for monitoring the further 86 local council elections which are scheduled to be held in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on 5 May 2005. PCHR is also preparing to monitor the elections of the Palestinian Legislative Council scheduled for 17 July 2005 throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory. These preparations come in the context of the efforts made by PCHR as an accredited monitoring organization to monitor all Palestinian elections. PCHR has also recently monitored the Palestinian presidential election which was held on 9 January 2005.
Public Document
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For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: [email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org