Courtesy of the The Israel Project

                         Source: Electronic Intifada

How does the government work?
What are the issues?
How are candidates elected?
Who are the parties and who represents them?
What is the connection between politics and terrorism in the PA?

 How Does the Palestinian Authority (PA) Government Work?

http://www.pna.gov.ps/Government/image/plo_pna.jpg

Elections Timetable

Dec. 14, 2005 - Last day to register candidates and/or party lists
Jan. 3, 2006 - Electoral campaigning began
Jan. 23, 2006 - Last day of campaigning
Jan 24, 2006 - No campaigning allowed
Jan 25, 2006 - Election Day: Voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Who is on the Ballot and How are Candidates Chosen?

The Palestinian poll is comprised of a mixed electoral system. There are two methods for electing candidates and parties:

• The representative majority system: Individuals from different political parties run on the ballot in the district in which they are running and wish to represent.
• Individual parliamentary nominations: Candidates from different movements may register with the Electoral Committee in order to run under their political party’s name and slogan at the national level.

What are the Issues?

A public opinion poll that was conducted by the Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah National University between Jan. 5-6, 2006 reported that on the local level the most important issues to the Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza are: [1]
1. Controlling the local security (24.8%)
2. Fighting corruption in public institutions (19.6%)
3. Reducing poverty, unemployment and releasing prisoners (18%)
4. Security and personal security for citizens (8.9%)
5. Limiting the number of appointments to public positions based on personal associations rather than qualifications (4.8%)
6. Other issues (3.1%)
7. Improving educational and health conditions (2.9%)

[1] “Result of the Palestinian public opinion polls, No.17,” Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah National University, Jan. 5-6, 2006, http://www.najah.edu/english/Centers/polls/poll18.asp

(Please note: Spelling of parties and candidates are according to the Palestinian Election Committee final electoral list, http://www.elections.ps/template.aspx?id=236) 

1. The Alternative List (Al-Badil)      

Source: PASSIA

• Includes The Coalition of the Democratic Front, People’s Party, Fida and several independent candidates
• 40 candidates on the electoral ballot
• No. 1 on the ballot is Qais Abdul Karim (pictured), leader of The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine(DFLP)                                                                                                                            

 A. The Palestinian People’s Party (PPP)

• Communist movement in the West Bank and Gaza
• Bassam Ahmad Omar Salhi, representing the party, is No. 2 on the list
• Accepts the Oslo Accords and a resumption of the peace process
• PPP strives to achieve “liberation, national independence, democracy,
   progress, social justice and socialism”

http://www.palpeople.org/viewPage.aspx?subjectid=6

B. The Coalition of the Democratic Front

• Represents the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)
• A leftist organization established in Feb. 1969
• Doctrine is the unify “guerilla activities under the banner and leadership of ’the armed struggle’”
• Desires to turn all of Israel into a democratic Palestinian state
•  Opposes negotiations with Israel and favors terrorism as a method for armed struggle
• DFLP’s most recent terrorist attack against Israel was on Aug. 6. 2005

http://www.dflp-palestine.org/

C. FIDA - Palestinian Democratic Union

• A small left-wing democratic party established in March 1990 as a break-away faction of DFLP
• Favors the peace process and a democratic political system

2. Independent Palestine (Also known as Palestinian National Initiative)

Source: PASSIA

• Includes a coalition of members from the Palestinian National Initiative (Al-Mubadara)  
• 41 candidates on the electoral ballot
• No. 1 on the ballot, Mustafa Barghouthi (pictured), ran in  
  the 2005 presidential elections and came in second to current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas  
• The party claims to be a “democratic and independent alternative for the large majority of silent and unrepresented Palestinian voters”
• Independent Palestine is the third most popular movement after Fatah and Hamas

http://www.almubadara.org/new/english.php

3. Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa 

Source: Aljazeera.info

• 50 candidates on the electoral ballot 
• Represents the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an Arab nationalist movement established in 1967
• Party named after Mustafa al-Zabri, PFLP leader until his assassination in 2001. His successor is Ahmad Sa’dat.                                  
• PFLP has been designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization since 1997
• The party seeks the destruction of Israel
• No. 1 on the ballot, Ahmad Sa’dat Yousif Abdel Rasoul (pictured), the
  group’s secretary general, was imprisoned in 2002 by the PA for assassinating former Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’evi in 2001             
• PFLP is strongly supported by Syria

http://www.pflp-pal.org

4. Martyr Abu al-Abbas     

Source: Palestinefacts.org

• 11 candidates on the electoral ballot
• Represents the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF)
• No. 1 on the ballot, Omar Shibly, became head of PLF after its former leader Mohammed Zeidan (Abu Abbas) (pictured) - mastermind of the Achille Lauro cruise ship hijacking in 1985 - died in U.S custody after his recent capture in Iraq
• Established in 1977 as a break-away group of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC).
• A pro-Syrian group that rejects the Oslo Accords and has little support among the Palestinians.
• Base of most PLF operations in Lebanon

5.  Freedom and Social Justice

• 13 candidates on the electoral ballot
• Represents the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PSF), a splinter group of Fatah founded in 1967
• No. 1 on the list is Ahmad Majdalany
• PSF is a terrorist organization that has been inactive since 1989
• It is reported that the group is now headquartered in southern Lebanon, but continues to gain support from Syria

6. Change and Reform - HAMAS

Source: Al-Jazeera.net

• 59 candidates on the electoral ballot
• Acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., European Union, Canada, and Australia. All 59 candidates are members of the terrorist organization                            
• No. 1 on the list, Ismael Hanieya (pictured), is a high-ranking Hamas official who stated in a radio interview on August 22, 2005 that Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza was a
   result of Qassam rockets fired by members of his terrorist organization
• Change and Reform is competing with the Palestinian national movement Fatah for control of the Palestinian Authority
• Additional candidates include prisoners and advocates of terrorism. For example, No. 22 on the list, Umm Nidal, is known as the “mother of martyrs” for encouraging her three sons to commit acts of terror against Israel

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk

                                                               
7. The National Coalition for Justice and Democracy (Wa’ad)

  
Source:BTVShalom.org  

• 12 candidates on the electoral ballot
• No. 1 on the ballot is Eyad el-Sarraj (pictured), a doctor in Gaza
• The party advocates respect for human rights, enforcing the rule of law and reforming the Palestinian security services                                      

8. The Third Way

Source: PNA

• 25 candidates on the electoral ballot
• Break-away group of independents advocating reform in the PA
• Some candidates were parliament members and ministers in President Mahmoud Abbas’ previous government
• No. 1 on the ballot is former PA Finance Minister Salam Khaled Abdullah Fayyad (pictured) and and No. 2 is former PA parliamentary member Hanan Ashrawi
           

9.  Freedom and Independence

• 10 candidates on the electoral ballot
• Represents the Palestinian Arab Liberation Front (ALF)
• No. 1 on the list is Salim Al-Bredeny
• ALF is a Palestinian nationalist terrorist group established in 1969
• Prior to the fall of Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi regime, ALF was heavily funded by Iraq
• ALF seeks the destruction of Israel and the creation of a secular Palestinian state in its place

10. Palestinian Justice

• 8 candidates on the electoral ballot
• No. 1 on list is Samir Qadri
• Comprised of independent candidates who favor “liberty, justice and peace”
• Palestinian Justice has released little information about its party

11.  The Palestinian National Liberation Movement - Fatah 

Source: World Security Network

• 45 candidates on the electoral ballot
• No.1 on the list is Marwan Barghouthi (pictured), who is serving five consecutive life sentences for attempted murder and involvement with the terrorist groups Fatah Tanzim and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades 
• No. 12 on the ballot is Jamal al-Rob, nicknamed Hitler, who is wanted by Israel for his involvement in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades
• Fatah candidates include members of the so-called young guard and        
  old guard. The young guard is represented by Marwan Barghouthi, who originally was a member of the now-dissolved Future Party (Al-Mustaqbal). In an effort to increase Fatah’s chances for a victory over Hamas, The Future Party was absorbed Fatah
• Candidates on the Fatah list include members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and Tanzim terrorist organizations. Others include imprisoned terrorists leaders such as Barghouthi

http://www.fateh.net         

For the final list of registered electoral candidates, please visit http://www.elections.ps/pdf/final_list_of_candidates_on_electoral_lists.pdf

For the final list of registered district candidates, please visit http://www.elections.ps/pdf/Final_List_of_Registered_District_Candidates_-_English.pdf

For contact information of representatives from the electoral list, please visit http://www.elections.ps/pdf/Representatives_of_the_electoral_lists.pdf

For district candidates contact information, please visit http://www.elections.ps/pdf/Contact_details_for_the_district_candidates.pdf

For more information about Hamas’ participation in the upcoming elections, please visit  http:/www.theisraelproject.org/backgrounders      

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Contact:
Calev Ben-David: 011-972-54-807-9093, calevbd@theisraelproject.org
Leah Soibel: 011-972-54-807-9094, leahs @theisraelproject.org 
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