February 8th, 2011, Ramallah—Following the Council of Ministers decision on local elections in accordance to national law, the CEC has emphasized and reaffirmed its readiness to hold local elections on July 9th as mentioned in previous statements.
The Elections Commission continues to uphold the values of freedom, credibility, and integrity, encouraging the contribution and participation of civil society, political parties, and the nation as a whole to collectively work alongside the Commission in support of its direction towards institutionalizing the foundations of democracy.
The CEC maintains itself as a neutral and independent commission, yet it will exert every possible effort to uphold values essential to a fair and equal election process in the Gaza Strip, which is facing difficulties. It is through these efforts the CEC hopes that elections will be a potential means for facilitating the process to national reconciliation.
Considering the electoral process as an essential facet to good governance, the Central Elections Commission is hopeful that the public will yield a greater number of voters in the upcoming elections.