Al Mezan Center for Human Rights asserts its demand to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to hold the legislative elections in accordance with the Presidential Decree, which assigned the Election Day on 17 July 2005.
The Center is concerned by the statements made by members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and other official bodies that the elections might be postponed owing to the failure of the Council to pass an amendment of the Election Law 13/1995.
Al Mezan emphasizes the significance of holding elections on the due date.
Legislative elections are a key entry to the current process of democratic development and to any solution to the current political crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and the efforts towards political and financial reform in the PNA.
They bear specific significance as they come three years after the expiry of the current PLC.
The postponement of elections deepen the uncertainty and mistrust in the PNA among Palestinian citizens, especially under the increasing deterioration of the living and security conditions in the OPT.
The Center highlights the need to comply with the public consensus on the legislative elections and calls the PLC to pass the Elections Law considering the calls for a mixed electoral system, with 50% members elected according to the proportional representation system, assigning a quota for women and to settle on a concise way to develop an electoral registry.
In addition, Al Mezan supports the demand of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) that the PLC passes the law as soon as possible so that it can properly arrange the elections processes, including registration, candidacy, campaigning and training its staff to run these processes in light of the new law.
The CEC will have a period of three months to organize the elections if the law is passed today.
Al Mezan calls on the PLC to hold a special session without delay and pass the Elections Law so that legislative elections take place on the due date.
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