The Central Elections Committee (CEC) announced the commencement of the process of updating the election registry, which is to take place between 28 March 2007 and 1 April 2007.
The last registry update was conducted during 13 – 17 November 2005.
On 25 March 2007, the CEC has also launched an awareness campaign in all of Gaza's districts, distributing educational materials regarding the updating of the registry.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights welcomes the CEC's decision to update the registry and positively views its educational campaign to encourage voters to register.
The Center also understands the registration process to be one of the most important and sensitive stages in the election process.
Having an accurate and updated registry is a vital guarantee of the integrity of elections and ensuring respect for the rule "one vote for each person".
It is also essential for the transparency and monitoring of the coming elections.
The registry is also a significant tool to examine eligibility of voters and voters' information as well as the distribution of voters on polling centers in their respective districts.
Moreover, it offers individuals and political parties the right to verify the lists and legally exclude individuals who are not illegible.
Al Mezan seizes this opportunity to encourage the Palestinian public to participate in this process, and to remind them of the negative impacts that emanated from non-registrations and incorrect registrations during the electoral process in the past.
Correct registration will preserve the basic right to political participation and promote elections as an essential democratic mechanism in Palestinian political life.
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