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Palestinian elections 2021 and its mechanisms

Qodsna Editorial Board

Important dates for three Palestinian elections are coming up, and different Palestinian groups and factions are preparing themselves for these events.

 

On January 15, 2021, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority (PA) issued a decree calling for legislative, presidential, and National Council elections before the end of the year.

 

The presidential directive specified that parliamentary elections for a new Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) would be scheduled for May 22, to be followed by presidential elections on July 31. A separate and third poll on August 31 would select new members of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the legislative arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

 

On January 30, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, reiterated his movement's support of the success of the 2021 elections, highlighting its commitment to participate in the democratic process and, more importantly, "to accept the results of the elections."

 

Immediate declarations of support by Fatah and Hamas led to the convening of the Palestinian National Dialogue on February 8-9, 2021. The two-day summit, hastily brokered by Cairo, was attended by 14 Palestinian factions in a renewed attempt to eliminate long-standing internal differences and mistrust between them and to have agreement on broad elections guidelines and procedures, including security arrangements and adjudication of potential electoral disputes.

 

In addition to Fatah and Hamas, participating factions included representatives of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which boycotted past elections in 1996 and 2006, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and nine other groups.


In a joint statement issued at the end of the Cairo meeting, the participating factions agreed to the following fundamental points and mechanisms regarding the upcoming elections:

 

1. To abide by the framework and timetable set by President Abbas's decree of January 15, 2021, regarding legislative, presidential, and PNC elections.

2. To hold elections in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), the occupied West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

3. To accept the results of the elections.

4. To call for the formation of an Electoral Cases Court, which will include judges from all three main Palestinian regions, to monitor the elections and adjudicate all potential disagreements.

5. To ensure that security at all polling stations will be solely vested in uniformed Palestinian police in accordance with the law.

6. To allow freedom of expression to secure a free and fair election campaign.

7. To release all political prisoners.

 

Source: The New Arab




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