Palestine prepares for first elections in 15 years
22 May 2021 will be a historic day in Palestine. Parliamentary elections will be held on that day after 15 years. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced the elections in January. According to Wafa media, Abbas called on all relevant state agencies "to be well prepared for a democratic process that will take place in all Palestinian governorates, including East Jerusalem". In addition to the announcement of parliamentary elections, a presidential election will also be held on 31 July and a Palestinian National Council election in August. These elections were agreed in September 2020, when Fatah and Hamas decided to organise elections during talks in Turkey to address the reconciliation process. Hamas, considered by many Western countries to be a "terrorist" organisation, has issued a statement welcoming the elections and expressing "its interest in making these elections a success in the interests of the Palestinian people, who have the absolute right to choose their leaders and representatives".
The two rival camps, Fatah and Hamas, met in Cairo this month to guarantee and agree on a "code of conduct" for the elections to be conducted with "transparency and integrity". The agreement also includes a commitment to respect the results of the elections and international observers, not to incite violence against candidates and not to use places of religious worship for campaigning, among other points.
The electoral commission has announced that the deadline to apply for candidacy is open until 31 March. It has also communicated that "the Committee requires one woman among the first three names on the list and one woman for every four men". In other words, the electoral law has been amended to increase the minimum number of women from 20 to 26 per cent. In addition to the lists of the two main Palestinian movements, Fatah and Hamas, there are 3 relevant lists: the reformist movement within Fatah, led by Muhammad Dahlan; a list formed by Nasser al-Qudwa, nephew of Yasser Arafat and representative of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) at the UN between 1991 and 2005; and another one that includes former PNA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. On the other hand, the Palestinian left is having trouble forming a joint list, so it is believed that it will run divided into two formations.
The UN has welcomed this democratic development in the area. "It is encouraging to see such strong public participation in the democratic process," said Tor Wennesland, the UN's envoy for the Middle East peace process. The UN said it was "working with the parties and international partners to address the urgent socio-economic needs of the Palestinians, including in the context of the pandemic, as well as moving forward with the goal of ending the occupation and achieving a negotiated two-state solution based on UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements". She also stressed that the process "will include a greater number of women".
This democratic decision may serve to improve relations between Palestine and the United States after the Trump Administration. The former US president did not maintain good relations with Palestinian leaders and cut economic aid. This election will undoubtedly be welcomed by the West and may boost relations between the PNA and Joe Biden. According to Reuters, the president "is drawing up a plan aimed at restoring U.S. ties with the Palestinians.
