Voter registration for Palestinian elections postponed

The Palestinian Authority (PA) Central Elections Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that it was postponing voter registration for municipal elections for a week, as discussions were still ongoing ono whether or not the Gaza Strip should be included in the electoral process.

The voter registration process was due to begin on Saturday.

The Fatah-dominated PA had announced at the end of last month that local elections would be scheduled for 13 May in both the West Bank and Gaza.

Read: Local elections will be start of political reconciliation, says PA

However, Hamas, the de facto ruling party of Gaza, and the Islamic Jihad movement promptly rejected the plan, saying that elections should only take place after the more than decade-long rivalry between Hamas and Fatah comes to an end and reconciliation is achieved.

“Elections should take place after ending disagreements, achieving reconciliation and uniting Palestinian institutions, including at the political, judicial and security levels,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said at the time.

PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has encouraged Hamas to participate in the elections, and urged Hamas to accept PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ initiative to form a national unity government in order to pave the way toward future presidential and legislative elections.

Municipal elections set to be held in October were postponed following a controversial decision by the Fatah-run Supreme Court in Ramallah.

Read: PA announces timeline for 2017 local elections

Prior to their cancellation, the municipal elections were set to be the first in the Gaza Strip in a decade, after Hamas’ victory in the 2006 vote erupted into a violent conflict between Hamas and Fatah, as both groups attempted to take control of the besieged coastal enclave.

A poll released by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) at the time found that 61 percent of respondents were displeased by the Supreme Court’s initial decision to postpone the municipal elections, with 60 percent believing that the decision was politically motivated.

Fatah and Hamas have been embroiled in conflict since Hamas’ election victory in 2006 elections in the Gaza Strip, which erupted into a violent conflict between the two movements as both attempted to consolidate control over the territory.