On the Local Elections

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development organized a women's meeting in Nablus on Tuesday. During the meeting participants demanded the elections to be held on its assigned date on the 9^th of July, and asked for a wider participation by women.  The session was under the title "for a wider women's participation in the local authorities' elections", which focused on enhancing the political and social mobilization to engage more people in the electoral process. The meeting touched upon women's organization in the feminist democratic lists, and the necessity to pressurize the concerned organizations in order to incorporate women, and engage them in the current negotiation process to form the electoral lists.

A number of women, representatives of the local councils, potential candidates and supporters from the Nablus region attended the meeting, participating from 15 villages around Nablus (Beita, Kasra, Kouseen, Akraba, Jamaeen, Zeita, Karyout, Kofor Kelleel, Roujeeb, Beit Foreek, Salem, Tel, Sabastya, Houra, Beit Eeba"

During the meeting, previous experiences of women who ran for the local elections were presented, in addition to emphasizing the importance of enhancing the social participation in the coming elections, especially women's involvement as voters and candidates. Participants also touched upon the challenges women face in their preparations for the coming elections, women's conditions and their electoral lists, and the importance of women's involvement in the negotiation for finalizing the electoral lists. They also stressed the importance to increase the number of women in these lists.

On her part, the coordinator for the women empowerment program, Mrs. Samar Hawash, stressed the need to hold transparent democratic elections as a legal, social and political right. Adding that women's effective participation, is an essential means to advocate women's local development. In the meeting, Mrs. Hawash announced the launching of a campaign to support women to vote and run for the elections.

The civic educator, Mayssara Subu said, that despite the change in the social stereotypical image of gender roles, due to women's participation in the social, economic and political struggle, and women's tendency to improve their status, the Palestinian society still places women in an inferior status to men, and monitors and suspects every step women take. Questioning women's abilities to join the decision-making circles, challenges their ability to make a change, and on a related level, Subuh stressed women's role in the decision-making processes as vital and essential.

On her part, the civic educator, Subheye Daraghme, emphasized the importance of women's participation in the local authorities, in order to change the stereotypical image of women. At the same time she stressed the redistrbeution of the gender roles in a just manner, which advocates the rights of citizenship, and democracy. Subheyye Daraghme, also stressed the importance of women's involvement in the decision-making circles, and their roles in relation to improving women's lives.