MIFTAH
Thursday, 28 March. 2024
 
Your Key to Palestine
The Palestinian Initiatives for The Promotoion of Global Dialogue and Democracy
 
 
 

As part of the project, “My vote, my right for expression, my right for change”, which is aimed at raising awareness among the Palestinian public on the democratic process and capacity-building for women running in local council elections (slated for October, 2016) , MIFTAH, in cooperation with the CEC and with EU funding completed three training courses in the central, northern and southern districts. The three-day workshops targeted female candidates in electoral lists and focused on campaign management and preparing electoral platforms. Some 68 women attended the training, which is part of MIFTAH’s direct interventions aimed at preparing women to run in the elections.

Workshop topics

The three workshops, held in Nablus, Ramallah and Hebron, revolved around the following topics: running media campaigns and managing electoral programs and interacting with the voter public. The training program was based on the experiences of the women by further honing these experiences through providing them with relevant information and linking the workshops’ topics with their tasks and duties as LGU members.

The workshops entailed practical training on how to create an electoral platform and the difference between service-based and political programs. It also included skills for dealing with the media (mass audio and broadcast) and the importance of direct contact with their communities through organizing town hall meetings. The women were also given the necessary skills on organizing meetings to showcase the projected achievements of the candidates.

The training program entailed campaign management, skills on dealing with competitors, skills to influence and target voters, investing in social media in election campaigns and ways of utilizing this media. The training highlighted local and international examples of how social networking such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have been used.

Participants also expressed their opinions about the mechanisms for forming lists and the means by which they were chosen. Not all of the factions abided by the code of honor they signed which set the women’s quota at 30% minimum. Furthermore, the women were placed at the bottom of the lists, with only a few in second and fourth place. The women confirmed that most of the lists were formed on a tribal and familial basis, which they said would impact their role as LGU members. They expressed their desire for real democratic elections that reflected honest competition between the lists.

The women also said the candidates on lists had not met to create an electoral program in most areas given the High Court decision on September 24. They maintained it was important that they are targeted in this period, saying the information and training they received contributed to their capacity-building in dealing with the pre-elections stage. Before this, they said they were not well informed about the mechanisms for preparing and running elections and media campaigns. This information, the women maintained, boosted their confidence because it helped them form a clear picture on how to deal with the public and attract voters.

Recommendations

The women’s recommendations revolved around the need to choose candidates who are capable of running in the elections and serving their communities. They requested more training on self-affirmation and on communications and contact with the public, local council members and institutions. Other recommendations called for changing the elections law regarding the lists system.

The training workshops were conducted by experts in election campaign management and media communication skills, including: Maysoun Qawasmi, Binaz Batrawi, Mahmoud Hroub and Aliya Siksik. The trainers all stressed on the quality of the training, saying it could provide a solid foundation for the targeted candidates in meeting the requirements of the election process, including campaign management and connecting with the public.

In this regard, Batrawi, Hroub, Siksik and Qawasmi all concurred that the training boosted the candidates’ self-confidence and that they were now fully prepared. They added that the candidates must build permanent bridges with the media and keep an ongoing relationship with them. The trainers maintained that candidates should also be given workshops on the local council law and learn more about the duties and roles of LGU members.

MIFTAH project director Najwa Yaghi said that these trainings, which MIFTAH also organizes in the Gaza Strip, are part of the organization’s program for promoting social participation. This program targets youth and women and other social groups capable of assuming responsible roles for change and impact at the local and national level, based on a democratic approach and the principles of good governance. Yaghi maintained that MIFTAH is committed to its continued support for female LGU members through developing their abilities to carry out their duties and build bridges of trust between themselves and their communities.

 
 
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