Palestinian electoral commission: Israel might hinder upcoming local elections
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/08/palestinian-municipal-elections-commission-hamas.html
Al-Monitor: It has been 11 years since the last municipal elections were held in 2005 in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The new elections are scheduled to be held on Oct. 8. So what are Hamas’ rules to participate in them?
Nasir: Hamas did not set conditions, but it rather inquired about the extent of freedoms for holding the elections and about whether or not the electoral provisions and judgments by courts in Gaza would be respected. The CEC responded to the inquiries and confirmed that it will accept the courts’ decisions, without challenging them, away from any political connotations. Hamas then announced its approval to compete in the elections.
Al-Monitor: Why did it take 10 years to hold these elections? What has changed today? Why did you choose Oct. 8, and who set this date?
Nasir: The Palestinian Cabinet is the only authority competent to call for holding local elections and set the date to this effect. The current decision comes four years after the previous CEC call to hold local elections in 2012, in application of the law. Back then, Hamas refused to hold or participate in them in Gaza and thus they were held only in the West Bank. Perhaps today the situation has become riper for elections in both parts of the Palestinian territories.
Read more: ▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/08/palestinian-municipal-elections-commission-hamas.html#ixzz4Gkp1zYYP