In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

4. Palestinians Following the 2006 Legislative Election A Critical Election? As#ad Ghanem elections and change of government are part of the democratic process. Following every democratic election, a government continues its performance as the executive branch or is changed. such a change is a reflection of the changing preferences of the people, the collective of citizens . The change can be reflected in two ways. The first, in which the new government continues the policies of the previous one, is common and can be considered regular or gradual change, with minor alterations that reflect the guiding principles of the new ruling party or parties or the personal preferences of the newly elected leaders. These elections can be classified as “regular elections.” The second mode of change, in which a deep and fundamental change occurs in the agenda or the political, economic, or social situation of the state or in its international status, is “critical elections.”1 such critical elections occurred in the United states in 1860, after which the Civil War started around the question of the future of the union. such elections also occurred in Germany in 1933, when the national Party and Hitler took power democratically and promoted a revolutionary change in German internal and external policies. another example is the south african elections of 1989, which signaled the end of the apartheid regime. smooha and Peretz consider the 1992 Israeli elections as critical elections, in that following those elections Israel entered a new phase in its relationship with the PLO.2 The second Palestinian legislative elections in 2006 were also critical elections, in that the Islamic resistance Movement (Hamas) won with a 84 as#ad ghanem vast majority.3 The PLO and the Palestinian Liberation Movement (Fatah) did not accept this victory or the transfer of power to Hamas. Israel and the United states declared the Hamas government a “terrorist entity.” above all, the Palestinian national movement collapsed and lost its status as a unified voice representing the Palestinian demand for self-determination. This collapse coincided with the establishment of two competing Palestinian entities , one in the West Bank and one in the Gaza strip, that followed the election . as such, the effort to establish a Palestinian state and to resolve the conflict reached a dead end because of this deep internal schism and the inability to confront the Israeli occupation. The Palestinian Legislative Elections: A General Framework For a few months before the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, several Palestinian political parties and organizations contributed to a campaign for the amendment of the previous electoral law, on the basis of which the first Palestinian legislative and presidential elections had been held in 1996.4 The previous law was criticized for being too traditional, for upholding clan leadership, and for facilitating the monopoly of power by the larger parties. according to this law, the West Bank and the strip were divided into sixteen election districts, and local coalitions were able to affect the election results with little intention of addressing real political needs and aspirations. Public demands for the amendment of the law mounted, and the national Campaign for amending the electoral Law was established. The new electoral law aimed at encouraging all factions and parties to participate in Palestinian political life and leadership, especially in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and vis-à-vis the formation of governments . It established a mixed electoral system, combining the proportional and the constituency systems in equal measure, with 50 percent of the representatives elected according to the old sixteen election districts and 50 percent elected via the proportional system, with the whole territory under the Palestinian authority (Pa) considered one district for the sake of the election . The proportional system allowed for the participation of all parties that reached the minimum ballot tally, and the constituency system encouraged independent candidates to run in one of the sixteen constituencies in the West Bank and Gaza strip. 16.94.152] Project MUSE (2024-04-20 00:54 GMT) Palestinians Following the 2006 Legislative Election 85 In order to implement this system efficiently and to encourage greater participation, the number of PLC seats was increased from 88 seats to 132 seats. The new law divided the seats into 66 for the proportional system and 66 for the constituency system. In addition to proportional representation, the new law also encouraged wider participation through the following revisions : The minimum age of nomination was reduced to twenty-eight years from thirty years, so as to facilitate the...

Share