The Arab World Observatory for Democracy and Elections in the West Bank, in partnership with the Center for Civil Society Studies CIVITAS in the Gaza Strip, held a dialogue session on the Local Elections Law No. 10 of 2005. During the session, the law and its amendments were discussed in depth, and a discussion and dialogue was opened about the most important challenges that face it
. The elections are held in their usual regular form through the following points:
-The most appropriate local election system in light of the past four electoral cycles.
-Issues that would increase the percentage of women in local councils.
-Issues that would increase youth representation in local elections.
-What are the financial controls required in local elections?
-How can the negative use of social media be reduced during the electoral process?
-General proposals for developing the electoral process at the local level.
Many recommendations were also made, the most important of which are: holding local body elections in the Gaza Strip as the third complementary phase of the local body elections that were held in two stages, and the necessity of submitting a think paper with the most important conclusions of the session to be presented to decision makers, and amending the election law to suit the current situation, the importance of holding elections. In all local bodies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, especially since the Strip has not participated in local elections since the political division.
Among the recommendations that came out of the dialogue session were also to reduce the nomination age to involve the youth segment in the electoral process as voters and candidates, and to create democratic mechanisms to limit recommendation in local councils, such as a referendum on the list and the participation rate of citizens, and to raise the percentage of the women’s quota to 30% in order to achieve equal justice. Developing systems for financing electoral campaigns in order to achieve justice among competing electoral lists, and setting controls for the use of social media and subjecting them to the law
Source: Maan News Agency