New West Bank electoral law enforces foreign, Israeli agenda: Hamas
3 Min Read
Hamas slams Mahmoud Abbas’ new Palestinian election law, calling it a dangerous move to marginalize political forces, thus serving Israeli and US interests.
-
A Palestinian woman prepares to vote in municipal elections at a polling station in the West Bank city of Nablus, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 (AP)
The Hamas movement has strongly condemned a new election law decreed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, labeling it a "dangerous infringement" on citizens' rights to freely choose their representatives.
According to the group, the law mandates that all candidates in municipal elections must adhere to the program of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the principles of "international legitimacy". Hamas asserts that this requirement is a transparent attempt to sideline national and Islamic forces, as well as independent figures.
In a statement, the group said the legislation aims to alter the municipal map to serve the interests of a specific faction within the Palestinian Authority, and its leading party, Fatah, further accusing the law of aligning with ongoing Israeli and US pressures.
Capitulation to pressure
The movement warned that the legislation dovetails with the Israeli occupation's vision of fostering further Palestinian subservience and fragmenting the West Bank into disconnected local councils. The goal, the group argued, is to create a new reality where compliant figures who submit to the occupation's demands are empowered to the detriment of representatives who reflect the true will of their people and defend their rights and freedom.
Hamas also emphasized that such stipulations are part of a broader capitulation to international pressure aimed at creating a subservient Palestinian political environment. This, the movement stated, aligns with promoted initiatives to "rehabilitate the Palestinian Authority" in a manner that ultimately serves the Israeli occupation and its plans to liquidate the Palestinian cause.
The group called on all Palestinian factions, national forces, and public figures to unite in rejecting what it termed a "dangerous law". It urged them to act against its implementation, arguing that it undermines the Palestinian national framework, constitutes a blatant assault on political pluralism, and legitimizes submission to foreign dictates.
Abbas enacts new law requiring candidates to sideline the Palestinian cause
On November 19, President Mahmoud Abbas enacted a new decree-law on local government elections, following a proposal from the Council of Ministers.
The legislation is allegedly designed to strengthen the electoral process for local councils by enhancing its legal foundations and guaranteeing its transparency and fairness.
Most notably, Article 16 of the Local Councils Elections Decree-Law requires any electoral list to submit a signed pledge affirming that its candidates commit to the program of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), its international obligations, and the decisions of international legitimacy.
Critics say that this new requirement is fundamentally unconstitutional, primarily because it violates the principle of equality. It creates a distinction between Palestinians who are members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and those who do not endorse the PLO's program or the relevant international resolutions that define Palestine as the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the eastern part of al-Quds.
Among the decree's stipulations are:
- Different voting systems for different councils: a single-member system for villages and an open-list proportional system for municipalities;
- Reducing the minimum age for candidates to 23;
- Establishing new measures to boost women's representation in local councils.
