Ref: 54/2006
Date:  09 November 2006    

 
PCHR Organizes a Colloquium on the Palestinian Legislative Council
On Thursday noon, 9 November 2006, PCHR organized a colloquium titled “Palestinian Legislative Council: Between Past Failures and Future Ambitions.” Interested people, representatives of civil society groups and a number of human rights activists attended the colloquium, which was held in PCHR’s office in Khan Yunis. The discussions focused on a study issued by PCHR on the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) titled “Palestinian Legislative Council: 10 Years of the Absence of Accountability.”
During the colloquium, Dr. Tariq Mukheimer, a researcher at PCHR Democratic Development Unit, presented the conclusions and recommendations of the study, including the obstacles that limited the ability of the PLC to carry out its duties in its first decade, and the reform of its structure duing the second legislative elections, which were held in January 2006. In this context, it was emphasized that the PLC failed in the first decade to assume it responsibilities of legislation, accountability and monitoring, due to the absolute control of one party (Fatah movement) on all its committees, the weak democratic caulture of the vast majority of members and the lack of community awareness of the role and goals of the parliament. The study issued by PCHR highlights the challenges faced by the PLC during the al-Aqsa Intifada, including the siege imposed by Israeli Occupation Forces and its impacts on the PLC’s ability to assume its responsibilities of legislation, monitoring and accountability. The study further explains the circumstances that led to the enaction of the electoral law in 2005 before holding the second legislative elections in January 2006, in which Hamas won the vast majority of votes.  
The participants highly appreciated PCHR’s role in defending the issues of democracy and human rights, and emphasized the importance of the study and its conclusions, which highlights all issues releated to the PLC. They also called for widely dessiminating the study in the Palestinian society to raise the awareness on the problems and crises faced by the PLC in its first decade. They further called on political elites and civil society groups to make efforts to ensure reform in the PLC to be able to assume its responsibilities of legislation, monitoring and accountability effectively, as a first step towards developing a political system based on the rule of law and the separation of authorities.