Palestinian legislative and presidential election, 1996
Encyclopedia
On January 20, 1996, elections took place in the West Bank
, Gaza Strip
, and East Jerusalem
for President
of the Palestinian National Authority
(PNA), and for members of the Palestinian Legislative Council
(PLC), the legislative arm of the PNA.
The 1996 elections took place in a moment of optimism in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and many Palestinians believed that the government they were electing would be the first of an independent Palestinian state. However, in the ensuing months and years, Israelis and Palestinians failed to resolve their differences and come to a final status agreement, and an upswing in violence meant that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
would continue. As a result of this instability, new presidential and legislative elections were not held until nearly a decade later.
There were no real strong conventional political parties in place before the election. The results were dominated by Fatah
, the strongest movement within the Palestine Liberation Organization
, which was headed by Yassir Arafat. The Islamist Hamas
, Fatah's main rival and a group considered a terrorist organization by Israel and most Western governments, refused to participate in the election; they felt that doing so would lend legitimacy to the PNA, which was created out of what they called unacceptable negotiations and compromises with Israel
. Independent international observers reported the elections to have been free and fair; however, boycotts by Hamas and opposition movements limited voter choices.
. Arafat won the election with 88.2 percent of the vote to Khalil's 11.5 percent.
(2005): The Politics of the Palestinian Authority pp.200-201), the PCBS
was able to arrange the necessary voter registration. Obstructions included long delays in providing maps and necessary information, insistence on hebrew-only documents; "... They did all they could to hinder things in Jerusalem .."; in Gaza, six tons of voter registration cards were held up at the Erez crossing
, and eventually they had top be passed "by hand over the concrete barriers that surround the checkpoint".
and Samaritan
communities. The results were as follows:
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, and East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
for President
President of the Palestinian National Authority
The President of the Palestinian National Authority is the highest-ranking political position in the Palestinian National Authority ....
of the Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
(PNA), and for members of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Palestinian Legislative Council
The Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority, is a unicameral body with 132 members, elected from 16 electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza...
(PLC), the legislative arm of the PNA.
The 1996 elections took place in a moment of optimism in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and many Palestinians believed that the government they were electing would be the first of an independent Palestinian state. However, in the ensuing months and years, Israelis and Palestinians failed to resolve their differences and come to a final status agreement, and an upswing in violence meant that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
would continue. As a result of this instability, new presidential and legislative elections were not held until nearly a decade later.
There were no real strong conventional political parties in place before the election. The results were dominated by Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
, the strongest movement within the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
, which was headed by Yassir Arafat. The Islamist Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, Fatah's main rival and a group considered a terrorist organization by Israel and most Western governments, refused to participate in the election; they felt that doing so would lend legitimacy to the PNA, which was created out of what they called unacceptable negotiations and compromises with Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Independent international observers reported the elections to have been free and fair; however, boycotts by Hamas and opposition movements limited voter choices.
Presidential election
The president was elected by a simple popular vote. The results of the election were considered a foregone conclusion by most observers, due to Arafat's longtime dominance of the Palestinian political scene (he had been PNA president since its creation and head of the PLO for decades before that) and the high regard he was held in by most Palestinians; his only opponent was activist Samiha KhalilSamiha Khalil
Samiha al-Qubaj Salameh Khalil , also known as Umm Khalil, was a Palestinian charity worker as well as a prominent figure in Palestinian politics....
. Arafat won the election with 88.2 percent of the vote to Khalil's 11.5 percent.
Israeli obstruction
Despite considerable Israeli obstruction (see Nigel ParsonsNigel Parsons
Nigel Parsons is a Paralympic athletics competitor from Australia. He won a pair of gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Games in the Men's 4x100 m Relay A2A4-7 event and the Men's 4x400 m Relay A2A4-7 event.-References:...
(2005): The Politics of the Palestinian Authority pp.200-201), the PCBS
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is the statistical organization under the umbrella of the Palestinian Cabinet of the Palestinian National Authority....
was able to arrange the necessary voter registration. Obstructions included long delays in providing maps and necessary information, insistence on hebrew-only documents; "... They did all they could to hinder things in Jerusalem .."; in Gaza, six tons of voter registration cards were held up at the Erez crossing
Erez Crossing
The Erez Crossing is a pedestrian/cargo terminal on the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier. It is located in the northern end of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Israel.It is part of a complex formerly including the Erez Industrial Park....
, and eventually they had top be passed "by hand over the concrete barriers that surround the checkpoint".
Legislative election
The legislative election saw 88 PLC members elected from multi-member constituencies, with the number of representatives from each constituency determined by population. Some seats were set aside for the ChristianPalestinian Christian
Palestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
and Samaritan
Samaritan
The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...
communities. The results were as follows: