Ramallah, 10/10/2011- Last week, CEO, Mr. Hisham Kuhail, participated in a conference organized by the National Center for Human Rights in Jordan on the general principles for the establishment of an independent election commission. This came in the framework of the cooperative relationship between the CEC and independent election committees around the world, and upon a special invitation by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
The conference focused on three main issues concerning the independence and integrity of the election commission, i.e., the constitutional and legal guarantees for the independence of election commissions, the organizational structure of the election commission, its technical units and their role during the electoral process and in between elections, the decision-making process and the relationship with election stakeholders.
Mr. Kuhail focused on the constitutional and legal guarantees for the independence of election commissions where he shared a presentation on the Palestinian experience with respect to this issue, and stressed the need for constitutional and legal frameworks to ensure the independence of the election commission. Mr. Kuhail also discussed the experience of the CEC in terms of the administrative structure and the mechanism of decision-making, as well as the form of the relationship between the commission and election partners.
Mr. Kuhail, also stressed on the CEC’s readiness to provide advisory and technical support to the independent election commission of Jordan at any time requested.
It is worth noting that the CEC had previously shared experience with the electoral bodies in Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, specifically in the technical matters related to the electoral systems and the general principles of elections, relying on the extensive electoral experience and good reputation it enjoys in the Arab world.