Palestinian municipal election, 2005
Encyclopedia
Municipal elections were held to elect members of local councils in the Palestinian Territories
between December 2004 and December 2005. They were the first local elections held in Palestinian areas in almost thirty years.
The elections were approved by President of the Palestinian National Authority
(PNA), Yasser Arafat
, before his death on November 11, 2004 and were administered by the Higher Committee for Local Elections (HCLE), a body established under the authority of the Ministry for Local Government, an institution of the Palestinian National Authority.
The first round of elections was held in two parts; the first part on December 23, 2004 in 26 districts in the West Bank
and the second on January 27, 2005 in 10 districts in the Gaza Strip
.
The second round of Palestinian elections for local councils was held on May 5, 2005 in the West Bank (76 districts) and Gaza (8 districts) and on May 19, 2005 in the West Bank district of Al-Ram.
The third round, (September 29, 2005) and the fourth round (December 15, 2005) were to
elect local councils in districts 104 and 44 respectively, but in some districts elections were canceled.
The fifth round never happened because of the situation in Palestinian Territories after formation of Hamas
-led government. Approximately 25% of Palestinians live in districts that did not have elections.
In the first two rounds, council members were elected by Bloc voting
election system, and the third and fourth by Party-list proportional representation
Turn out was quite high. Over all, the local election showed Hamas relative strength and preparedness to deal with the block voting election system. One other side, it showed weakness and disorganization of Fatah and inability to understand the consequences of the voting system.
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
between December 2004 and December 2005. They were the first local elections held in Palestinian areas in almost thirty years.
The elections were approved by President 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), Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
, before his death on November 11, 2004 and were administered by the Higher Committee for Local Elections (HCLE), a body established under the authority of the Ministry for Local Government, an institution of the Palestinian National Authority.
The first round of elections was held in two parts; the first part on December 23, 2004 in 26 districts in the West Bank
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...
and the second on January 27, 2005 in 10 districts in the 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...
.
The second round of Palestinian elections for local councils was held on May 5, 2005 in the West Bank (76 districts) and Gaza (8 districts) and on May 19, 2005 in the West Bank district of Al-Ram.
The third round, (September 29, 2005) and the fourth round (December 15, 2005) were to
elect local councils in districts 104 and 44 respectively, but in some districts elections were canceled.
The fifth round never happened because of the situation in Palestinian Territories after formation of 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...
-led government. Approximately 25% of Palestinians live in districts that did not have elections.
In the first two rounds, council members were elected by Bloc voting
Plurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
election system, and the third and fourth by Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
Turn out was quite high. Over all, the local election showed Hamas relative strength and preparedness to deal with the block voting election system. One other side, it showed weakness and disorganization of Fatah and inability to understand the consequences of the voting system.