Ref: 3/2011

On
the morning of 20 February 2011, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
organized a panel discussion on elections under the rule of the Palestinian
Authority. More than 60 participants were in attendance, including
representatives of civil society organizations, political parties, members of
the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), jurists, academics and journalists.
This panel discussion was organized in view of the controversy over elections
that was recently renewed when the Cabinet in Ramallah announced that the
elections of local council will be organized in July 2011 and required the
Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization to organize
general elections before the end of the current year.

At
the outset of the meeting, Hamdi Shaqqura, PCHR Deputy Director for Program
Affairs and Director of PCHR’s Democratic Development Unit, reviewed the
position paper published earlier by PCHR in this regard, stressing that it is
important to create an environment appropriate for the organization of
transparent and fair elections. PCHR notes that elections are not a goal in and
of themselves, but rather a part of the democratic reform process, which has
relapsed in the wake of the PLC elections in 2006 and the subsequent
deterioration of the internal situation, as well as the fragmentation within
the Palestinian Authority since 2007. Aside from the escalation of war crimes
committed by the Israeli occupation, the ongoing fragmentation has accompanied
serious deterioration in the situation of public freedoms and human rights.
Shaqqura Explained that the organization of elections requires, first of all,
meeting necessary conditions, including the respect of the right to freedom of
expression, the right to peaceful assembly, the right to form associations and
the right to political activity, all of which are currently violated in view of
the ongoing fragmentation.

Over
the course of two hours, the participants expressed their opinions. More than
20 persons made presentations in the meeting, expressing a variety of opinions
on the priorities of the actions to be taken during the coming phase. Some prioritized
efforts aimed at ending the ongoing political fragmentation while others
prioritized the organization of elections before achieving reconciliation.
However, the majority of those who made presentations agreed to the following:

1. Elections are
necessary and the popular mandate granted to all the elected parties, including
the President, the PLC and local councils, has expired and the people must
create a new mandate through elections.

2. Elections
cannot be organized without first achieving national reconciliation.

3. All community
efforts must be converged and pressure must be exerted on the Hamas and Fatah
movements in order to achieve national reconciliation and put an end to the
fragmentation.