Israel Bars Palestinian Election Monitors Ahead of Nov. 28 Vote
A Palestinian news agency cited an unnamed official source as saying the Israeli government denied the commission access to oversee the electoral process. No further details were given.
On July 9, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree fixing Nov. 28 as the date for legislative elections in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza. If held, they would be the first such vote since 2006.
The commission opened registration of electoral lists on Sept. 26 and received eight applications in the first four days. Registration stays open until Oct. 13.
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh told journalists on Aug. 2 that a fallback would be pursued if voting were prevented or obstructed in Gaza or elsewhere in the Palestinian territories.
“The alternative plan is to form the Palestinian National Council by consensus, as the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,” he said.
Roughly 2.97 million Palestinians are eligible to vote. That includes about 1.59 million in the West Bank, 1.24 million in Gaza and 140,000 holders of Jerusalem identity cards.
The last legislative elections took place in 2006, when Hamas won a majority of seats. A political rupture followed between Hamas and Fatah. Hamas seized control of Gaza about a year later, while the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority retained the West Bank.
The Palestinian Legislative Council has been dormant since 2007. The Supreme Constitutional Court ordered its dissolution in 2018.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any
responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos,
licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues
related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
