Elections UpdatesThis update aims to highlight the most significant developments on the local council elections that is part of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights’ (PCHR) work in the field of election monitoring. This publication will be successively issued by PCHR to follow up the electoral process and evaluate each phase of it in due process. PCHR’s work relies on the credibility of the field documentation and communications with the concerned authorities done by a qualified observers team. Update (1): Local Council Elections Developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip25 August 2016
On Thursday evening, 25 August 2016, the doors to run for local council elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will be closed according to the timeline by the Central Elections Commission (CEC) that monitors the local elections scheduled on 08 October.
The candidates should submit their final electoral lists no later than 00:00 today. The doors to run for elections were opened on 16 August for 10 days.
According to a statement issued by the CEC, Wednesday, 24 August 2016, which is the penultimate day of the closing date for nomination, witnessed “remarkable activity and heavy turnout from those running for the elections all over the cities. The CEC worked until late night on Wednesday to complete the receipt of applications”
According to the timeline of the electoral process, the primary list of candidates is expected to be published on Monday, 29 August 2016, whereas the CEC will allow objections on the electoral lists and independent candidates for 3 days after the primary list is published. The CEC will then decide about the presented objections within 3 days, i.e. on 01 September. Afterwards, challenges on the CEC’s decisions will be presented before the competent court for other 3 days, i.e. on 04 September. On 07 September, the competent court will take decisions about the challenges presented against the candidacy applications. The court has 7 days to do that.
On 24 September, the final list of electoral lists and candidates will be published, one day after the last date appointed for withdrawing the electoral lists. On the same day, the electoral campaigns will start and last for 13 days until Thursday, 06 October. On 06 October, the security officers only will be voting, while the voting date will be 08 October.
PCHR hopes the independent candidates, electoral lists and their supporters are abide by the restrictions of the law before and during the electoral campaigns in order to have the elections process achieved successfully and smoothly. In this context, PCHR continues its preparations for monitoring the elections as the CEC has approved PCHR as an observing party with about 350 local individuals to be monitoring all stages of the electoral process. PCHR is implementing an intensive training program for these observers next week to offer them the skills necessary for their task.
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