Written by: Dr. Mouyad Kamal Hatab

After the disruption of the democratic process for 15 years, a presidential decree was issued in order to conduct Palestinian elections in 3 stages. The first stage includes the holding of elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council on 22nd of May 2021, while presidential elections will be held on the 31st of July 2021 and the elections for the Palestinian National Council will be held on the 31st August 2021. The holding of these elections, and the political and partisan activity that accompanies them, will have an important impact on the lives of Palestinian youth, especially since many of them will participate for the first time.

The Palestinian Legislative Council’s Role:

Legislative elections are a long-awaited national entitlement, as they are an urgent legal necessity, especially after we witnessed the negative impact of the absence of a legislative system. The absence of the Palestinian Legislative Council has led to the issuance of legislations and laws, either as a law by decree in the West Bank, or by a single or separate decision in Gaza. This influenced controversy and disagreement, and reinforced the legal division along with the existence of the political division. The interruption of the electoral process also deprived the citizen of his/her right to monitor and hold accountable the performance of the executive authority, in addition to other roles assigned to the tasks and functions of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

On the other hand, political and partisan life cannot proceed naturally or bear its positive results as long as elections are suspended, for elections are the most prominent mechanism to measure the role of parties and their actual standing in society. Therefore, elections are considered to motivate parties in order to improve their political performance, social services and communication with citizens, hoping to gain more votes. Thus, the parties become interested in their members, especially youth, because they are the real driving force in the development of the party’s performance, and are able to communicate the party’s ideas and programs to the public. Since youth are the source of energy and inspiration, the future and hope for a better tomorrow, they are always the target of polarization and an important and essential goal for any party looking to win and succeed.

According to the Decree issued by Law Number (1) of 2007, pertaining general elections, Article (27) stipulates that a person must be 18-years-old on polling day in order to be eligible to vote. However, Article (29) of the same law prohibits a person who was: “Convicted of a felony which violates honor and integrity and not reinstituted as per the provisions of law.” According to Article (45) of the same law, it is stipulated that a candidate for the Legislative Council membership must be at least 28-years-old on polling day. This age for candidacy has sparked a lot of controversy, with some arguing that it should be reduced to 22 or 25 years. In fact, the age for candidacy in many Arab countries is 25-years-old, which is an appropriate age because it expresses the presence of young men and women on the one hand, and it is a suitable age where s/he acquires the awareness of the role.

The Importance of Youth’s Role in Elections:

Youth in any society, especially the Palestinian society in which they constitute the highest percentage of the population, are a formidable energy that should not be buried. As previously mentioned, youth always have a great capacity for giving and perseverance when given the opportunity to express and work. Youth are the most capable of promoting and enhancing democracy and freedom of opinion and expression, if provided with the opportunity to do so. They often have their own dreams and visions for the future and how to improve and develop the country and its citizens. Therefore, it is imperative to open the doors for them to freely express their political perceptions and to actively participate in the political sphere. The absence of legislative elections in Palestine, and the consequent Palestinian division and separation between the two parts of the homeland, has led to the disruption of political and partisan life and deprived citizens from their rights. It has also resulted in the decrease of youth’s interest of public life. The role of Palestinian youth significantly decreased in the socio-political spheres. Many of them no longer care about public life or critical issues, such as Jerusalem, Palestinian prisoners, etc. Restricting freedoms and disrupting other elections, such as student councils, trade unions and other youth political activities in different areas have stifled the ambition for change and/or influence amongst many young men and women. As a result, they lost their sense of truth about their role and its importance in various socio-political aspects.

The disruption of electoral life has also contributed to the weakness of the political parties in all their forms, regardless of whether or not they support the ruling authority. The prevention or disruption of elections makes the parties lose the importance of youth’s role in the development and continuity of these parties. Even if the party is victorious in power, the absence of a competitor makes the party no longer care about the party’s youth or their objections. This affects the youth’s confidence of their party, weakens their enthusiasm and leads to their reluctance to play their role and to truly participate in the development and support of the party, state and society.

Moreover, the holding of elections will revitalize youth and their active role in society. Elections will restore their hope for change, provide them with confidence that they have the right to choose, to observe, hold accountable and criticize, and even turn the tables if they want. As a result, this will motivate them to work and contribute to the election campaign and vote. All this will positively affect public freedoms, strengthen democracy, and thus develop the performance and work of political parties.

Youth possess modern means of communication, keep pace with development and technology and have the patience to have discussions with social components of society and deliver their ideas and opinions. They are the most capable of deciding the election results and pushing the voting wheel in favor of their party or their ideas.  Young men and women, too, must contribute to decision-making processes, not just influence it. This can be achieved through their presence on the candidate lists, whether through the various parties or through the formation of their own lists that express their aspirations. As they constitute the largest percentage and the strongest impact, it is imperative for them to be present and represented in the Palestinian Legislative Council in order for them to communicate their messages and present their ideas. Young men and women own the future, and they have the right to define its features.

 

The opinions expressed in this article are the views of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Association or donor.