Date: 02 July 2012  

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) is extremely astonished by the decision taken by Hamas to suspend the registration of voters in the Gaza Strip, which was scheduled to be started by the Central Elections Commission (CEC) tomorrow.  PCHR views this decision as unjustified and unaccepted intervention by Hamas into the CEC’s work.

On Monday morning, 02 July 2012, Sami Abu Zuhri, Spokesman of Hamas, stated that Hamas decided “to temporarily suspend the registration process.”

The registration of voters in the Gaza Strip was scheduled to be started tomorrow and concluded on 14 July 2012. The government in Gaza had allowed the CEC to work in Gaza in the context of reconciliation arrangements recently concluded by Hamas and Fatah movements in Cairo.  PCHR will monitor
the voter registration as part of its efforts to observe the whole electoral process.

The voter registration is totally a technical process of which the CEC is mandated.  The two parties of the
Palestinian political split had agreed on the CEC’s work, including the CEC’s reformation by a presidential decree.

PCHR totally rejects any intervention by political powers into the CEC’s technical work, and stresses that all political powers and the Palestinian Authority must maintain the CEC’s independence and refrain from intervening into its work.

PCHR calls upon Hamas to cancel its decision and allow the CEC to resume its professional work on the voter registry update.  PCHR further calls upon the government in Gaza to stop such unjustified and unaccepted intervention by Hamas into the CEC’s work.