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| PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PRESS RELEASE |
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Ref: 182/2004
Date: 21 December 2004
Time: 07:30 GMT
PCHR Welcomes Holding Partial Local Election Next Thursday, But Calls for Reconsidering the Policy of Stages and Holding Elections for Other Local Bodies Together
On Thursday, 23 December 2004, Palestinian voters in 26 local electoral bureaus will go to ballot centers to vote in the first elections for local councils in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) since the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in May 1994. This step is a part of the first stage of a plan to hold elections for local councils at stages. This stage will be completed with a similar ballot to be held on 27 January 2005 in the Gaza Strip. While PCHR welcomes holding free and impartial elections for any local council, it calls upon the PNA not to make the elections limited to the 23 December ballot and to reconsider other stages of the elections for other local councils to be held together on a specific time, shortly following the presidential election which will be held on 9 January 2005.
Preparations for holding elections for Palestinian local councils started with the establishment of a committee for elections of Palestinian local councils, the Higher Election Committee (HEC) according to presidential decree 8 of 2004, which was issued on 24 May 2004. HEC decided a date for the first stage of elections in light of the instability in the OPT, as Israeli occupation forces have continued to attack Palestinian civilians. In this context, preparations have started to hold elections for 26 local councils in the West Bank, the biggest of which are those of Jericho and Salfit, while the rest of the councils are those of a number of villages in 11 districts. This stage is expected to be completed on 27 January 2005 for 10 local councils in the Gaza Strip, the biggest of which are those of the towns of Deir al-Balah and Beit Hanoun.
Holding elections for local councils has been demanded by PCHR, other civil society organizations and political parties since the establishment of the PNA in 1994. However, since its establishment, the PNA has appointed members of local councils in the West Bank and Gaza Strip based on tribal and political considerations. Although the PNA promulgated Law 5 of 1996 relating to local councils elections, and Law 1 of 1997 relating to local councils, the PNA has not made efforts to hold elections for local councils and have continued to appoint their members.
While PCHR welcomes the 23 December elections, it calls upon the PNA to reconsider holding such elections at stages, especially as the presidential election will be held on 9 January 2005. If the political environment is appropriate to hold such elections, PCHR believes that there will be no need to hold the elections at stages. Consequently, PCHR calls upon the PNA to hold elections for local councils in other districts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip at once. As there is an intention to hold parliamentary elections also, it may be suitable to hold both elections at once to save time, money and efforts.
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Public Document
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