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PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PRESS RELEASE |
Ref: 130/2005
Date: 18 October 2005
Time: 11:30GMT
PCHR Criticizes Postponement of Local Council Elections
In contradiction with a previous, official, decision to hold elections of Palestinian locations in stages (with all stages to be completed by the end of 2005), the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) decided to reschedule elements of the fourth stage. This means that the elections in a number of major local councils, such as that of Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Jabalya and Nussairat, move to a fifth phase which will not be held this year.
On 13 October 2005, the Palestinian Minister of Local Government, Dr. Khaled al-Qawasmi, stated that the cabinet decided in its latest meeting to hold the fourth stage of the elections of local councils on 15 December 2005. This stage will include 44 local councils (41 in the West Bank and 3 in the Gaza Strip). According to sources from the Ministry of Local Government, elections will not be held for 59 local councils, which were supposed to be included in the fourth stage. The elections of these 59 local councils will be held at a fifth stage whose date has yet to be decided. They will not be held this year.
The Palestinian Cabinet decided in its meeting on 10 May 2004 to organise elections of local councils, the first of their kind under the PNA, at stages, staring at the end of August 2005 and continuing for one year “wherever the environment is deemed appropriate.” Even though PCHR has criticized holding these elections at stages and called for holding them simultaneously, it has welcomed holding elections for any local council – as long as these elections are free and fair – to put an end for the policy of appointments of local councils, which had been adopted by the PNA since its establishment in 1994.[1]
Three stages of the local elections have been held since the end of December 2004. These stages have included elections of 225 local councils in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The first stage was held in two phases on 23 December 2004 and 27 January 2005. The first phase included 26 local councils in the West Bank, whereas the second phase included 10 local councils in the Gaza Strip. The second stage of local elections was held on 5 May 2005. It included 85 local councils (77 in the West Bank and 8 in the Gaza Strip). The third stage was held on 29 September 2005. It included 104 local councils in the West Bank. The fourth and last stage was expected to be held before the end of this year to include the remaining local councils.
PCHR monitored elections of a number of local councils included in the first and second stages of local elections. PCHR expressed its satisfaction about the electoral process, including polling and counting of votes, and concluded that it was transparent. PCHR also followed up the developments that followed the second stage of elections in light of the rejections submitted by Faith for al-Aqsa Bloc of Fatah movement against the Higher Committee for Local Elections (HCLE) and district commissions in Rafah, al-Boreij and Beit Lahia, where the Change and Reform Bloc of Hamas won the majority of seats. PCHR expressed its astonishment by the testimonies given by HCLE officials before the judiciary, which contradicted the official results officially declared by the HCLE and served to cancel these results. The judiciary decided to re-organize the elections in a number of polling centers in these three communities. Accordingly, the HCLE decided to organize the repeated elections on 1 June 2005, but it was forced to postpone them until further notice as Hamas decided to boycott these elections, but all parties agreed later to postpone these elections without specifying a date for them. Since then, the issue is still outstanding and it is not clear whether the repeated elections will be held or not. It is worth noting that a new law on local council elections was passed on 15 August 2005. The third stage of elections was held according to the new law. The new law adopts the principle of proportional representation according to which each electoral bloc obtains a number of seats proportional to the percentage of votes it gets. The old law adopted the principle of proportional majority, according to which seats are afforded to the candidates who obtain the highest numbers of votes.
In light of the above, PCHR calls for:
1. Holding elections of the remaining local councils as soon as possible to put an end for the policy of appointments and ensure the existence of elected local councils.
2. Reaching an acceptable compromise regarding the election in Rafah, al-Boreij and Beit Lahia to overcome the existing crisis.
[1]For more details, see PCHR’s press release, “PCHR Welcomes Holding Partial Local Election Next Thursday, But Calls for Reconsidering the Policy of Stages and Holding Elections for Other Local Bodies Together,” 21 December 2004.
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