Palestinians negotiate a democratic election under occupation, writes Erica Silverman from Jerusalem On Sunday Palestinians successfully conducted free and fair democratic elections under the constraints of Israeli military occupation, within the confines of 703 check points, and despite efforts by Israeli forces to impede the participation of East Jerusalem residents in the electoral process. Mahmoud Abbas, who succeeded Yasser Arafat as chairman of the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and the candidate of the mainstream Fatah Party received 62.3 per cent of the vote over his nearest rival independent candidate Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, a physician and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, who received 19.8 per cent of the vote. Under the watchful eye of 940 international observers, a large number from the European Union and a smaller number from the National Democratic Institute based in Washington DC, and over a thousand media professionals, Israel eased the restrictions of the check points although undoubtedly the election was held under occupation. On Monday as the Central Elections Commission (CEC) announced the official results at the Cultural Palace in Ramallah, the success of the election was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the "civil registry" list and its role in determining the percentage of the Palestinian population that participated. The "civil registry" is a list of eligible voters, numbering 1.8 million, from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, excluding residents of East Jerusalem, and different from the list of "registered voters", numbering 1.1 million, compiled during the election period. The "civil registry" list was compiled by the Israelis in 1996, translated from Hebrew to Arabic, and is seriously dated considering an estimated 300,000 people on the list are out of the country, an estimated 50,000 are deceased, and an estimated 8,000 are in prison. The world was waiting to see if Palestinians would exercise their right to vote, determining the success of the election. The CEC reported that a total number of 757,146 Palestinians voted, of whom 26,365 were from East Jerusalem. If the "civil registry" list is used as a basis for the calculation then only 42 per cent of the population participated in the election, however if the list of "registered voters" is used then 68 per cent of the population participated, making the election an even greater achievement for the development of Palestinian democracy and a culture of participation. The Palestinian Authority does not have an accurate calculation of its own population statistics since Israel controls their identity card system, demonstrating how the occupation has hindered the normal development of Palestinian civil society. At press conferences held on Monday, both the CEC and the EU reported that Israeli forces imposed serious obstacles to the participation of East Jerusalem residents in the election. By 8am on election day eager crowds of potential voters swarmed around the Central Post Office on Salahuddin Street in East Jerusalem, one of six polling stations available to Palestinian residents holding Jerusalem identification cards. Palestinian and Israeli postal employees struggled to contain the crowd, permitting only a few voters to enter at a time. Only those whose names were found on the "registration list" were permitted to vote, hence the majority of voters were abruptly turned away. The Palestinian Authority provided free shuttle buses to transport the voters to alternate polling stations, but many residents were not able to make the trip. Rana, a 24-year-old programme manager for an international peace centre, holding a Jerusalem ID card, was directed to Al-Zaayim, an alternate polling centre to cast her vote. She expressed frustration over the lack of participation in East Jerusalem, but felt "the process was good and there was diversity in the choice of candidates." Israel permitted 5,367 out of an estimated 120,000 eligible voters access to the polls in East Jerusalem, based on figures from the 1996 election and determined by the 1995 Israeli- Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The remainder of the voters were forced to travel to 12 alternate polling centres located a distance from their homes. In September 2004 the CEC opened six registration centres which were closed 13 days later by Israeli officials, and a brief door-to-door registration process was conducted the week before the election instead. Also, the CEC was not permitted to train the Palestinian and Israeli postal workers manning the polling centres. Many East Jerusalem residents, particularly the older generation, were afraid to vote fearing the loss of their identification cards and/or benefits since their names and ID numbers were being placed on a registration list to which the Israelis also have access. Former US president Jimmy Carter and a number of other international observers intervened in response to Israeli obstruction in an effort to resolve the problems. Despite their intervention, disruptions on the part of the Israelis continued to negatively affect voter turnout in East Jerusalem. Israelis wanted to avoid a public display of a Palestinian national election out of concern it would portray Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital. Ras Al-Amoud checkpoint outside of East Jerusalem was open on election day, although a barrier of large rocks spanned the length of a road leading to the checkpoint. Two Israeli soldiers on guard claimed the barrier had been there for one month, however Palestinians witnesses claimed the barrier had only appeared in the last 24 hours. For the most part people moved through the check points with greater ease than usual. Palestinians have embraced the democratic process with open arms. Voters throughout the West Bank stated they were comfortable with the voting process and felt it was their right to elect their new leader. Living under the conditions of occupation has created a conscious desire for self- determination and the large number of foreign and Palestinian NGOs in the Palestinian occupied territories has also contributed to the Palestinian call for democracy. The occupation remains the biggest hurdle on the road to stability.
