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CEC: Some Obstacles Facing the Polling Process

9 January 2005


CEC Media Section, 9 January 13.30h — Six hours after opening the opening of polls, Palestinian voters continue to pour into polling centers to cast their votes, despite the failure of the Israeli authorities to deliver on their promises to facilitate the movement of the voters to allow their participation in the electoral process. Some voters, particularly those on the civil registry, have not found their names on the register at the polling centres they have attended. Therefore, we urge voters to check the location of their designated polling centers, and go to vote there. 

Election Irregularities: Israeli restrictions delay Jerusalem votes until 12:30PM

9 January 2005


January 9, 2005 — At approximately, 12:30 PM today, five-and-a-half hours after the opening of polling stations, the first Palestinian voter succeeded in casting a ballot at the Jaffa Gate post office in the old city of East Jerusalem. Israeli-imposed obstacles to voting at the Jaffa Gate polling station typify the problems Palestinians are experiencing as they attempt to conduct democratic elections under Israeli occupation. The Israeli government is attempting to limit Palestinian voting in East Jerusalem in particular as part of an attempt to deny Palestinian rights and identity there. 

7 Palestinian children killed by Israeli tank shell in northern Gaza

4 January 2005


While Palestinians have continued their preparations for holding the Palestinian presidential elections on 9 January 2005, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed 7 Palestinian children, including 2 brothers, by a tank shell in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia on Tuesday morning, 4 January 2005. This report from the Palestinian Centre for Human rights provides details of this incident. 

Election Irregularities: PCHR Lodges Appeal with Election Court Against CEC Decision

9 January 2005


9 January 2005, 20:00 GMT — The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has, tonight, lodged an appeal with the Palestinian Election Appeals Court against the decision by the Central Election Commission to allow citizens to vote with their Palestinian identity cards, even if their names were not on the electoral register. In its appeal, which will be heard on Monday the 10th of December at 1000hrs (GMT), PCHR has asked the Court to issue a clear judgment canceling the decision by the CEC to allow citizens to vote with their identity cards and to annul all the legal consequences which arise from this.   

Yet another historic day

Ali Abunimah 9 January 2005


Once again, the media and the international peace process industry have declared that it is an “historic day” for the Palestinian people. The occasion this time is the election of Mahmoud Abbas as head of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied territories. EI co-founder Ali Abunimah reflects that in the ghost-written screenplay that the Palestinians are being forced to act out, the election is “good news.” This means that any information that interferes with this agreed narrative that we are at the cusp of a new era of peace, democracy and reform has to be carefully filtered out of public view. 

PCHR publishes an evaluation report on election campaign conduct

9 January 2005


Today, 9 January 2005, PCHR has published a report evaluating the election campaign for the Palestinian presidential election and related violations of the regulations prescribed by the electoral law concerning this campaign.  The report examines the commitment of candidates and related parties with the regulations prescribed by the electoral law during the official period of the election campaign, 25 December 2004 – 7 January 2005. The report is part of the effort to monitor all stages of Palestinian elections by PCHR in cooperation with 26 Palestinian civil society groups throughout the Gaza Strip. 

Election Irregularities: Palestinian civilians still being denied access to al-Mawasi in Gaza

8 January 2005


8 January 2005, 14:00 GMT — PCHR is gravely concerned that at least 180 residents of al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip have been prevented from traveling back to their homes in the area by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). This measure will further increase the suffering of these Palestinians, as it particularly deprives them of participation in the Palestinian presidential election on Sunday, 9 January 2005. 

Election Irregularities: Confusion and chaos after change of election rules

Arjan El Fassed 9 January 2005


At around 5 P.M., the Central Elections Commission allowed Palestinians to vote solely based on their identity cards, without any need to check them against the electoral register or census list. This caused many Palestinians who were not registered to vote to enter polling centers. EI’s Arjan El Fassed witnessed confused voters and chaotic scenes. Adding to the confusion, Palestinian police allowed anyone to enter polling stations. These could have lead to voter fraud, since voters would be able to vote twice without being checked against the population registry. 

Election Irregularities: 'Indelible' ink used to prevent double-voting washes off easily

9 January 2005


9 January 2005, 9:18 a.m. local time — Palestinian presidential candidate Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi has just found out from contacts in Gaza and three voting centers in the West Bank that the indelible ink with which all who have cast their ballots are marked in order to ensure that they only vote once, and to ensure no double voting, can in fact be wiped out with saliva or washing. 

Election day polls open in Gaza

Arjan El Fassed Gaza, Palestine 9 January 2005


“It looks like Eid,” someone tells me. Indeed, it is a sunny day in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. In the early morning at some of the polling centers Gazans slowly show up. Members of the Central Election Commission are ready for the day. Boxes are sealed in front of the very few international observers in this part of the Gaza Strip. Local observers, including volunteers from various human rights organizations and party affiliates, are waiting to see what is going to happen.