Women’s political quota is mandatory, Palestinian electoral commission affirms

Statement issued by the Palestinian Central Elections Commissions

Women will be guaranteed minimum level of representation in Palestine’s upcoming local elections. Palestine is scheduled to hold elections for municipal councils in April this year. Ahead of the voting, the Palestinian Central Elections Commissions has issued a clarification on the law, which mandates that women be guaranteed a minimum quota on the councils - for councils with 11 seats, the quota is 3 women, while for councils with 13-15 members the quota is 4 women.

Should any women candidates drop out of running, the commission stressed that it will act to ensure the quota is still met.

The Karama network welcomes the clarification as an important step in reaffirming the importance of women's political representation. It is essential that women in Palestine are able to to participate meaningfully in the decisions that affect them.

Our colleagues the Palestinian Working Women Society for Development note that this clarification closes a loophole that could see women candidates pressured to withdraw from lists - which has happened previously. We support PWWSD’s call for further work from across Palestinian society to ensure greater participation and representation for women in decision making.