Ref: 28/2016

On Thursday, 18 August 2016, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) held a series of workshops on the local elections in its head office in Gaza City.  Journalists and lawyers of both genders attended the workshop.  The participants discussed local elections, هفe local elections and about the local elections in its office in Gaza City. theirtheir success chances and obstacles and possibility of achieving democracy in the Palestinian society. Moreover, the participants expressed their interest in the workshop topics and the importance of raising such discussions in order to promote the culture of democracy in the society.

This workshop was the third of its kind to be held in this week within a campaign started by PCHR to raise awareness about the right to elect and importance of the political participation since the beginning of the current month. The abovementioned campaign will continue until the elections day.

Last Tuesday, PCHR held a workshop in cooperation with the Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession ((MUSAWA) in the latter’s head office. A group of lawyers participated in the workshop during which they discussed the possibility to have successful elections, participation chances in the elections, and the proportional representation in elections in term of its advantages and disadvantages comparingwith the circuit system.

Moreover, Last Monday, PCHR held a workshop in cooperation with Al-Wafa for Environment and Development in Gaza city.  The workshop was attended by a number of young men of both genders. They discussed the chances of youth participation in the elections, impact of the elections on improving the living conditions in the Gaza Strip and standards of determining the electoral choices.

PCHR held two other workshops last week with Rawasi of Palestine for culture and Arts and the Independent Commission for Refugee Rights. The workshops were facilitated by Mohammed Abu Hashem, a Legal researcher at PCHR.

PCHR give the local elections great importance within its ongoing efforts to promote the democracy in the Palestinian society. The Central Elections Commission (CEC) approved PCHR to be an observing party on the upcoming local elections.  PCHR currently works on recruiting and qualifying around 300 observers of both genders to observe all stages of the upcoming elections.