Electoral campaigns of competing candidates for the upcoming legislative elections are legally bound to Law (9) of the year 2005.
In spite of legal regulations which ban any violations and great CEC efforts to clarify the law to both candidates and voters, legal rules of electoral campaigns are being breached and thus the image of Palestinian villages, towns and cities is being deformed.
According to Al Mezan monitoring sources, two people were killed while campaigning.
On January 18th at approximately 7pm, Basil Kamal Mahmud Al Shaer, 20, was shot in the head whilst participating in a Fatah gathering on Saddam St.
in Kherbat Adas in Rafah during crossfire.
Al Mezan monitors report that these illegal actions constitute a breach of electoral campaign standards by using government and public facilities such as mosques, hospitals and schools; posters are being hung, slogans are being written on walls, and meetings are being organized in or around these facilities.
Moreover, the misuse of official ministry websites to circulate electoral slogans has been reported.
According to Al Mezan monitoring campaign, around 500 electoral violations were recorded, and it is assumed that thousands of these violations are occurring throughout all Gaza districts.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns the killing of a citizen at an electoral campaign gathering and calls upon the PNA to open investigations regarding such incidents and give special attention to the case of Rami Al Dalw who was accidentally killed on January 14th during activities in breach of electoral regulations.
Al Mezan also calls upon the CEC to activate its procedures against candidates who violate the law by releasing the names and types of violations.
Further, it demands that competing candidates respect Law no.
9 of year 2005 and the campaign regulations.
END