Amman: Saturday’s Palestinian local council elections saw a much higher turnout than in 2017, according to Electoral Commission chief Hannah Nasser.
Nasir told the media on Sunday that 66 percent (405,687) of eligible voters cast their vote in elections to local councils in C areas.
Local elections for major cities in regions A and B are to be held on March 26, 2022.
He said independent lists (mostly family/tribal oriented) garnered 71 per cent votes, while party lists garnered 29 per cent votes.
In the 2017 elections, only 53 percent of the electorate voted in the local council elections.
Nassar said that all the complaints filed were investigated and dismissed as they would not have changed the result in any place.
Reema Nazal, a member of the Secretariat of the General Union of Palestine Women and an election expert, told Arab News that the elections promoted victory which would help them.
“While setting aside election dates is contrary to law, the election results will most likely lead to Fatah that will help offset the loss of support caused by the cancellation of the last April 30 legislative elections.”
Najjal said that Fatah, the Palestinian national movement, won 123 of the 162 uncontested council lists.
In other lists, it is difficult to determine politically who won because most rural communities run local candidates who are not necessarily affiliated with or loyal to a particular political movement.
Suhir Ismail Farraj, director of Bethlehem-based Women and Media Development, also known as TAM, told Arab News that the local council elections were largely tribal.
“In most communities, conquerors belong to large family tribes rather than political movements.”
Faraz acknowledged that in many communities the same person, a tribal leader, is also affiliated with one of the Palestinian factions.
“For example, in my home village Khadar, the head of the winning list is a tribal leader from the Musa family and he is also associated with the left-wing Fida party. If he just went on the Left party, he would have lost,” she said.
While Fatah fielded the largest lists ever, the Democratic Front had 25 lists, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine had six lists, the Left People’s Party had five lists, and the Palestinian Struggle Group had only two lists. .
According to the head of the Election Commission, the next phase of local elections will begin with voter registration on January 8, 2022. Electoral lists will be accepted from 8 February, and elections will be held for 66 city councils in Regions A and B. All 25 councils in the West Bank as well as Gaza will take place on 26 February.
It is not clear whether Hamas, which controls the security situation in Gaza, will agree to hold the election.
Najjal also told Arab News that she did not expect women to occupy more than 20 percent of the allotted seats, even though women made up 26 percent of the lists submitted for the election.
Palestinian law states that at least 20 percent of any council must be women.
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