Registration for the upcoming Local Elections is now open

Today, the CEC announced the commencement of voter registration from March 9th until   March 15th in all West Bank districts. The registration process will target unregistered voters and citizens who changed their residence since the last registration exercise. It will also target youth who became eligible to vote through mobile registration teams sent to 700 high schools.

Registration centers will open in the 290 localities where elections will be held in addition to CEC’s district offices across the West Bank.

According to law registration is a requirement for voting as Local Council Elections Law No. 10 of 2005 stipulates that non registered voters aren’t eligible for  nomination nor voting for the upcoming elections.

The total number of registered voters nationwide has reached 1,437,965 out of 1,916,803 eligible voters (above 17 years) according to latest estimates of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics by mid 2010. This  represents 75% of the total eligible voters  in Palestine. The percentage of registered voters in the West Bank has reached 81%, however this percentage stands only at 67% in Gaza districts.

It should be indicated that the CEC is currently preparing for conducting Local Elections on July 9th following a decision from the Cabinet issued on February 8th. Elections will be held in 290 localities in the West Bank and 25 localities in the Gaza Strip.