In the occupied West Bank, municipal elections without real stake
A poster with Palestinian candidates for the municipal election of Nablus in the West Bank on March 24, 2022. © JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP
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3 mins
Palestinians from towns in the occupied West Bank are being called to the polls this Saturday, March 26.
This is the second phase of the municipal elections.
Small Palestinian towns and villages have already elected their municipal representatives in December, a poll that had little stake.
But this one doesn't have more
.
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With our correspondent in Ramallah,
Alice Froussard
There are many meetings, electoral posters, cars covered with flags, which go around the cities to campaign for this or that list.
But the stakes in these municipal elections are low.
First, because Hamas does not appear on the electoral lists.
The Islamist movement in power in the Gaza Strip is boycotting these municipal elections as in 2017. And in the coastal enclave under Israeli blockade, the elections simply do not take place, because Hamas refuses to organize any ballot as long as the The Palestinian Authority does not ensure the holding of legislative and presidential elections.
It must be said that they have not taken place for 17 years, and that Mahmoud Abbas, the aging 87-year-old president, remains in power as best he can, ruling by decree and multiplying authoritarian excesses.
In 2021, he canceled the holding of national polls, arguing that the vote was not guaranteed in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian part of the city, annexed by Israel.
But also "
for fear of defeat
", say some analysts.
One thing is certain: the divide between leaders and the population is very real, as is the lack of representativeness of the political class.
A large majority of the population demands the departure of the man nicknamed Abu Mazen and calls for national elections.
“
Because these municipal
elections, they say,
only maintain a semblance of democracy
”.
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A list for change in Hebron
Despite the low stakes, the Palestinians demand a political renewal, a change.
In Hebron, in the south of the occupied West Bank, a list stands out from the others and is banking on this need for change: Sarkhet al-Taghyir (
The Cry of Change
in French) is a non-party list with personalities from all walks of life such as activists , lawyers, academics.
Issa Amro, a human rights defender, is a candidate on the list.
"
We are probably the youngest list in the entire West Bank
: the average age of candidates is 37
," he explains.
And we call it
"The Cry of Change"
because that's what we want to
"cry"
to our leadership, which is far too old, and which is no longer able to represent us, but which does not let us opportunity to participate in elections or choose new leaders.
»
In this list, 40% of women.
It's almost unheard of.
Usually, they are not present on the lists to respect the electoral law, to respect quotas, continues Issa Amro.
“
Unfortunately, women are often a decoration, men don't want strong women to be elected, and they even hide their photos on election posters.
This is what we challenged with our list: we hid the photos of the candidates, to leave only the photos of the candidates – in solidarity with other women and to push them to get into politics.
»
But not everything was simple, because the list is presented independently of the parties or families present in Hebron.
She did not have a lot of financial means to campaign.
"
But the real problem is that change usually comes from presidential elections
," he said.
Nor will it happen without legislative elections or PLO elections.
These elections are only a first step.
Of the 15 seats in the Hebron Municipality, they hope to get two or three.
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Palestinian territories
Mahmoud Abbas