MIFTAH recently held a special session in which it discussed CSO priorities and interventions regarding the proposed legal amendments to the Local Elections Law No. 10 of 2005 and the General Elections law No. 1 of 2007.
The session began with a rundown of the most significant proposed legal amendments to the elections law, which CSOs have been discussing since 2013, in a bid to improve the efficiency of the electoral system. This entails guaranteeing the right of political participation for women and youth and reviving democratic principles to increase participation of the various social sectors. Most importantly, these include: amendment of the electoral system (proportional election system), lowering of candidacy age, threshold and women’s quota percentages, ban on first and second-degree relatives on the same list, direct election of local council president and setting a limit of two terms only for local council heads.
Furthermore, the participants said CSOs must form a civil front that includes national and factional figures who can demand general elections. This front would be based on an agreed vision among institutions, the foundation of which would be a social contract (Basic Law and its stipulated principles). They maintained that this would lay the groundwork for partnership between the various civil components to demand elections and find a way out of the Palestinians’ political crisis, due to the failure to hold elections, the erosion of the system’s legitimacy, the rise in corruption within this system and the continued political division.
Meanwhile, the topic of laws by decree and the positions of CSOs was discussed. Some organizations said they believed the thwarted election process had created a legislative vacuum, which has obstructed and impacted citizens’ everyday lives. Institutions, however, were forced to deal with these laws by decree, given the need for updated laws that address pressing issues.
However, other CSOs believed the executive authority took advantage of the absence of the PLC to boost its dominance. They said these laws by decree serve the interests of the political system without any serious action to revive the legislative council through holding elections and ensuring the political right of citizens to choose their representatives.
The participants capped off the session with a number of conclusions, including: agreement to form a broad-based national coalition to demand elections, through developing a civic vision based on the fundamental principles of the Basic Law; agreement on the proposed legal amendments and on broadening the circle of public and social debate until these amendments are adopted; promoting the legitimacy of this demand and the need to include the CEC vision for Local Council Elections, which is based on its actual experience during the 2021 local elections.
Hassan Mahareeq, officer in MIFTAH’s policy and dialogue unit, said the session was part of MIFTAH’s efforts to promote active political participation for all components of Palestinian society, particularly youth and women, by reviving mechanisms for democratic dialogue to ensure a legal and encompassing environment for this participation, which safeguards citizens’ rights, public freedoms and values of equality.
مفتاح تعقد جلسة لمناقشة التعديلات المقترحة على قوانين الانتخابات المحلية والعامة
تاريخ النشر: 27/07/2022
بقلم:
عقدت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" جلسة خاصة ناقشت خلالها أولويات وتدخلات مؤسسات المجتمع المدني تجاه التعديلات القانونية المقترحة على قانون انتخاب مجالس الهيئات المحلية رقم (10) لسنة 2005 وقانون الانتخابات العامة رقم (1) للعام 2007، والخطوات اللازم اتخاذها لتحقيق أهدافها.
وافتتحت الجلسة باستعراض لأهم التعديلات القانونية المقترحة على قانون الانتخابات، والتي تمت مناقشتها منذ العام 2013 من مختلف مؤسسات المجتمع المدني، بهدف تحسين كفاءة النظام الانتخابي وتحسين مخرجاته، بما يضمن تعزيز حق المشاركة السياسية للنساء والشباب وتفعيل المبادئ الديمقراطية لتوسيع مشاركة الفئات المجتمعية المختلفة، وأبرزها: تعديل النظام الانتخابي (النظام الانتخابي النسبي)، وتخفيض سن الترشح، ونسبتي الحسم والكوتا النسوية، وحظر وجود أقارب درجة أولى أو ثانية داخل القوائم، وانتخاب رئيس الهيئة المحلية بشكل مباشر، إضافة إلى تحديد فترة رئيس الهيئة المحلية لولايتين فقط.
في حين، ناقش المشاركون ضرورة أن تبدأ مؤسسات المجتمع المدني، بتشكيل جبهة مدنية تضم شخصيات وطنية، وحزبية، للمطالبة بإجراء انتخابات عامة، استناداً على رؤية تتفق عليها المؤسسات، يكون أساسها العقد الاجتماعي (القانون الأساسي والمبادئ التي نص عليها)، كأرضية لشراكة مختلف المكونات المدنية، للمطالبة بالانتخابات، والخروج من الأزمة السياسية، التي يعيشها الشعب الفلسطيني، بسبب توقف إجراء الانتخابات وتآكل شرعية النظام والمؤسسات وترهلها، وازدياد حالات الفساد في النظام السياسي القائم واستمرار الانقسام السياسي.
كما تم مناقشة مسألة القرارات بقانون، والمواقف المختلفة لمؤسسات المجتمع المدني تجاه القرارات بقانون، إذ أن بعض المؤسسات تعتبر تعطل العملية الانتخابية خلق فراغاً تشريعياً من شأنه أن يعطل ويؤثر على حياة المواطنين اليومية، لذا اضطرت المؤسسات إلى التعاطي مع القرارات بقانون استناداً لحاجة المواطن لتحديث القوانين أو استصدار قوانين تعالج قضايا طارئة نظراً لضرورتها. بينما رأت مؤسسات أخرى في ذلك استغلال السلطة التنفيذية غياب المجلس التشريعي، لزيادة هيمنتها من خلال إصدار القرارات بقانون بما يخدم مصالح النظام السياسي، دون العمل الجاد لإعادة تفعيل السلطة التشريعية من خلال عقد الانتخابات وتفعيل حق مشاركة المواطن السياسية في اختيار ممثليه.
وخلص المشاركون في الجلسة إلى مجموعة من النتائج من أبرزها الاتفاق على تشكيل ائتلاف وطني عريض للمطالبة بإجراء الانتخابات من خلال بلورة رؤية مدنية تستند للمبادئ الأساسية في القانون الأساسي، والاتفاق على التعديلات القانونية المقترحة وتوسيع دوائر النقاش السياسي والمجتمعي لهذه التعديلات لغاية تبنيها، وتعزيز شرعية المطالبة بها، وضرورة تضمين رؤية لجنة الانتخابات المركزية لقانون الانتخابات المحلية، والتي استندت إلى تجربتهم العملية خلال الانتخابات المحلية التي أجريت في 2021.
بدوره، قال حسن محاريق، مسؤول في وحدة الحوار والسياسات في "مفتاح"، أن هذه الجلسة تأتي ضمن سعي المؤسسة إلى تعزيز المشاركة السياسية الفاعلة لجميع مكونات المجتمع الفلسطيني وخاصة الشباب والنساء، من خلال تفعيل آليات الحوار الديمقراطي لضمان ترسيخ بيئة قانونية حاضنة للمشاركة الفاعلة، وحامية لحقوق المواطنة والحريات العامة وقيم المساواة.
عقدت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" جلسة خاصة ناقشت خلالها أولويات وتدخلات مؤسسات المجتمع المدني تجاه التعديلات القانونية المقترحة على قانون انتخاب مجالس الهيئات المحلية رقم (10) لسنة 2005 وقانون الانتخابات العامة رقم (1) للعام 2007، والخطوات اللازم اتخاذها لتحقيق أهدافها.
وافتتحت الجلسة باستعراض لأهم التعديلات القانونية المقترحة على قانون الانتخابات، والتي تمت مناقشتها منذ العام 2013 من مختلف مؤسسات المجتمع المدني، بهدف تحسين كفاءة النظام الانتخابي وتحسين مخرجاته، بما يضمن تعزيز حق المشاركة السياسية للنساء والشباب وتفعيل المبادئ الديمقراطية لتوسيع مشاركة الفئات المجتمعية المختلفة، وأبرزها: تعديل النظام الانتخابي (النظام الانتخابي النسبي)، وتخفيض سن الترشح، ونسبتي الحسم والكوتا النسوية، وحظر وجود أقارب درجة أولى أو ثانية داخل القوائم، وانتخاب رئيس الهيئة المحلية بشكل مباشر، إضافة إلى تحديد فترة رئيس الهيئة المحلية لولايتين فقط.
في حين، ناقش المشاركون ضرورة أن تبدأ مؤسسات المجتمع المدني، بتشكيل جبهة مدنية تضم شخصيات وطنية، وحزبية، للمطالبة بإجراء انتخابات عامة، استناداً على رؤية تتفق عليها المؤسسات، يكون أساسها العقد الاجتماعي (القانون الأساسي والمبادئ التي نص عليها)، كأرضية لشراكة مختلف المكونات المدنية، للمطالبة بالانتخابات، والخروج من الأزمة السياسية، التي يعيشها الشعب الفلسطيني، بسبب توقف إجراء الانتخابات وتآكل شرعية النظام والمؤسسات وترهلها، وازدياد حالات الفساد في النظام السياسي القائم واستمرار الانقسام السياسي.
كما تم مناقشة مسألة القرارات بقانون، والمواقف المختلفة لمؤسسات المجتمع المدني تجاه القرارات بقانون، إذ أن بعض المؤسسات تعتبر تعطل العملية الانتخابية خلق فراغاً تشريعياً من شأنه أن يعطل ويؤثر على حياة المواطنين اليومية، لذا اضطرت المؤسسات إلى التعاطي مع القرارات بقانون استناداً لحاجة المواطن لتحديث القوانين أو استصدار قوانين تعالج قضايا طارئة نظراً لضرورتها. بينما رأت مؤسسات أخرى في ذلك استغلال السلطة التنفيذية غياب المجلس التشريعي، لزيادة هيمنتها من خلال إصدار القرارات بقانون بما يخدم مصالح النظام السياسي، دون العمل الجاد لإعادة تفعيل السلطة التشريعية من خلال عقد الانتخابات وتفعيل حق مشاركة المواطن السياسية في اختيار ممثليه.
وخلص المشاركون في الجلسة إلى مجموعة من النتائج من أبرزها الاتفاق على تشكيل ائتلاف وطني عريض للمطالبة بإجراء الانتخابات من خلال بلورة رؤية مدنية تستند للمبادئ الأساسية في القانون الأساسي، والاتفاق على التعديلات القانونية المقترحة وتوسيع دوائر النقاش السياسي والمجتمعي لهذه التعديلات لغاية تبنيها، وتعزيز شرعية المطالبة بها، وضرورة تضمين رؤية لجنة الانتخابات المركزية لقانون الانتخابات المحلية، والتي استندت إلى تجربتهم العملية خلال الانتخابات المحلية التي أجريت في 2021.
بدوره، قال حسن محاريق، مسؤول في وحدة الحوار والسياسات في "مفتاح"، أن هذه الجلسة تأتي ضمن سعي المؤسسة إلى تعزيز المشاركة السياسية الفاعلة لجميع مكونات المجتمع الفلسطيني وخاصة الشباب والنساء، من خلال تفعيل آليات الحوار الديمقراطي لضمان ترسيخ بيئة قانونية حاضنة للمشاركة الفاعلة، وحامية لحقوق المواطنة والحريات العامة وقيم المساواة.
MIFTAH releases 2021-2022 comparative actual spending reports for the social and security sectors, including social justice and gender indicators
Date posted: April 04, 2023
By MIFTAH
MIFTAH recently released 2021-2022 comparative actual spending reports for the social sector (health, education, higher education and scientific research, social development and labor), and for the first time, the security sector (Ministry of Interior and National Security). The reports were based on annual financial data released by the Ministry of Finance in Palestine for 2021-2022 and on an accrual basis.
The data showed that the Ministry of Interior and National Security had the highest percentage of actual spending in 2022, accounting for 22.8% of overall public expenditures, or ILS3.68 billion. This was a slight increase from the Ministry’s share in 2021. Meanwhile, actual spending on the education sector (Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research) stood at 21.5% of overall public expenditures, or ILS3.48 billion. This was also an increase from the education sector’s share in 2021, which was 20.6% of public expenditures.
Moreover, actual spending on the Ministry of Health also increased in 2022, comprising 15% of overall public expenditures, at a sum of ILS2.4 billion. This was higher than in 2021, where its share was 14.4%. As for the Ministry of Social Development, actual spending was still low, amounting for 6.2% of overall public expenditures in 2022, compared to 5.8% in 2021. The Ministry of Social Development’s actual spending in 2022 was approximately ILS1 billion. As for the labor sector, actual spending on this sector in 2022 was 0.31% of overall public expenditures, while in 2021 it was 0.28%. Actual spending on the labor sector in 2022 was ILS50.1 million.
Upon review of actual spending reports of the targeted ministries from a gender and social justice perspective, it is clear that actual spending on the Ministry of Social Development does not coincide with the scope of its responsibilities as the forerunner of the social sector in Palestine, including its programs for combatting poverty and the protection of poor and marginalized social sectors. Moreover, non-compliance to the disbursement of payments for poor families within the CTP continued according to estimates, whereby only two of four installments for 2022 were disbursed, one at minimum value. This adversely affected the financial security of the most underprivileged and marginalized sectors of society, in addition to the insufficient estimated budget and actual spending on the social protection program, in spite of its importance in providing protection and social services to battered women, children, special-needs persons and the elderly.
The data also pointed to the low percentage of women working in the security sector, which stood at 6% of the total number of workers in this sector, while they comprised 46% of the civil sector. This shows a gap in actual spending on the security sector from a gender perspective, given that the lion’s share of actual spending in 2022 was on salaries and wages. Hence, women only benefited very little from these allocations, which were nearly ILS2.9 billion in 2022.
The data also indicated that the development expenditures for the Ministry of Labor were only ILS4.5 million in 2022, even though planned development expenditures were ILS32 million, which is much higher. This casts a shadow on gender-related programs and projects, which were allotted sizeable budgets within development expenditures, such as creating sustainable opportunities as alternatives for Palestinian men and women working in settlements, for which ILS10 million were earmarked.
Even though there was an increase in actual spending in 2022 at the targeted ministries in general, this increase was mainly concentrated on salaries and wages. In spite of the importance of providing a decent life for employees, there is still a need to increase spending on development expenditures, since they are at the forefront of developing government services, including the nationalization and institutionalization of various social services.
MIFTAH concludes town hall meetings on political participation and citizens’ rights for women and youth
Date posted: January 09, 2023
By MIFTAH
Ramallah – 29/12/2022 – Within its efforts to promote democratic values and the peaceful transfer of power within the Palestinian government system, MIFTAH’s field advisory team completed over 100 town hall meetings in the second half of 2022. The meetings were held in coordination and cooperation with CSOs, LGUs and grassroots organizations and targeted women and youth in several West Bank and Gaza Strip districts. The objective of these meetings was to raise awareness among the electorate on the electoral system in Palestine and on civil society demands to increase women and youth participation in local and general elections as candidates and voters, on the premise that this boosts their presence in decision-making levels and involves them in public affairs.
The town hall meetings included several exchange visits between LGU members in the various districts. The women shared the experiences and challenges they faced after becoming council members. The meetings focused on the concept of citizenship within a broader definition of the various forms of political participation and the importance of involvement from youth and women in public life. They also pointed to the different forms of democracy and the main pillars of the democratic society Palestinians seek to create. The participants furthermore discussed the various forms of electoral systems and shed light on the gaps in electoral laws regarding the presence of women and youth.
The participants pointed to the importance of periodic legislative and presidential elections and the danger of the ongoing absence of the PLC on matters pertaining to civic peace. They also warned against the absence of oversight and accountability, maintaining that the defunct PLC has contributed to shrinking civic space and public freedoms and therefore, the ability or desire to become involved in political life, especially for women and youth. In most of the meetings, the participants also indicated that the absence of a regular democratic process in Palestine contributed to the overall exclusion of youth from participation and to the marginalization of the role of women in Palestinian political decision-making.
The town hall meetings stressed on the importance of pressing for legislative, presidential and local elections in all West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza Strip districts. They also endorsed the demand for equality in electoral laws, starting with raising the women’s quota to a minimum of 30%, raising the candidacy age and lowering the threshold. They urged Palestinian factions to assume a key role in the process of inclusion for women and youth in the public sphere and to prevent the progression of tribalism in the democratic process. The attendees emphasized the importance of monitoring the performance of LGUs in their interaction with local communities and the consistency of their meetings. Finally, they said female council members must be given the opportunity to exercise their role in their respective councils as equals to their male counterparts.
MIFTAH holds town hall meetings on an annual basis as part of its awareness campaign on citizens’ rights and the promotion of the democratic approach for a peaceful transfer of power, in addition to the involvement of women and youth in elections as both candidates and voters. Each year, through these town hall meetings, MIFTAH aims to reach the widest possible segment of the electorate and the different social sectors in all parts of Palestine.
MIFTAH completes training workshop in the Gaza Strip on family protection and advocacy
Date posted: January 05, 2023
By MIFTAH
Gaza – 2/1/2023 – MIFTAH recently completed a training workshop on measures and regulations on family protection in the Gaza Strip. The workshop was part of MIFTAH’s strategic objectives to prioritize family issues in communities and to support local institutions in increasing awareness on citizenship and constitutional rights for Palestinian women and on combatting all forms of GBV and discrimination in Palestinian society.
The workshop’s objectives included providing institutions with important information on the legislations, laws and measures for family protection in effect in the Gaza Strip, in a bid to enhance the oversight role of CSOs in holding accountable official parties responsible for enforcing these measures and legislations. The training also included offering institutions the necessary mechanisms for managing digital and media campaigns to press for the ratification of laws and legislation that protect women’s rights.
The discussions focused on a number of points, including legal (including sharia law) rebuttals to claims from parties opposing legislation, including the Family Protection Law. They also discussed how applicable this law would be in the Gaza Strip once ratified by the President.
The participants unanimously agreed that they supported adoption of the law, giving no credence to the claims of more extreme elements in Gaza on the Family Protection Law. They called on MIFTAH to hold general, open meetings with the public to introduce them to the law and its importance, so that they could defend themselves from the extremist discourse surrounding it.
Opinions and impressions
One of the participants, Latifa Shatat, said such training workshops were crucial for every Palestinian, male and female. “It is great we are pressing for protection laws such as the Family Protection Bill. This law will have tremendous impact on society as a whole. I can say from experience as a social and mental health worker that protection is the most important element in our work, especially in cases involving women and children, who are the most vulnerable social sectors. I commend MIFTAH and anyone who participates in spreading a culture of nonviolence, protection, justice and equality.”
Meanwhile, Haifa Al Araj said the training offered important details about the Family Protection Law and also ways of conducting initiatives and activities that could produce positive results in mobilizing support it.
Another participant, Hatem Abu Ta’a, said the training was a new starting point for him as an institution director in terms of integrating the demand to implement the Family Protection Law in all advocacy and lobbying activities and programs. He said he became more aware of the impediments to the law’s implementation at the official and social level, saying, “This training reminds us to renew our calls to demand implementation and ratification of the law at the official level.”
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abu Rabee said ratification of the Family Protection Law would be a huge step, for women and children especially. “This law will amplify women’s voices and their ability to access help with stronger and more supportive centers throughout the homeland. As a strong supporter of this bill, I want to stress on the importance of civil society institutions explaining the clauses in the bill pertaining to CEDAW and to also focus on working with parties that oppose the law in particular.”
The training workshop is part of MIFTAH’s “Policy dialogue and Good Governance” Program, which aims at influencing public policies and legislation in favor of protection for citizens’ rights in Palestinian society, based on the principles of social justice and respect for human rights.
