RAMALLAH: Over 275,000 people have registered to vote in Gaza and voter registration has been extended due to the overwhelming response. “Voter registration will be extended until Wednesday, February 20th in the West Bank and Gaza Strip based on recommendations of various political parties to enable more citizens to register,” Central Elections Commission chief Hanna Nasser said in a statement. This is the first time the electoral process has been enacted since 2006, when Hamas swept Gaza and expelled supporters of Fatah, the ruling party of the occupied West Bank. Updating the voter registry was a key section of a reconciliation deal between the rival parties in 2011. The resolutions of the agreement were left largely unimplemented until recently, when Hamas and Fatah began reconciliation talks in earnest. Currently, the parties agree on most issues concerning reconciliation. Following the update, Abbas will issue two decrees; one will announce the names of the new cabinet ministers and the other will set a date for presidential and legislative elections. These elections are meant to take place three months after the decrees. This would mean Palestinians voting for the first time since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip. On Monday, 350,784 people had registered to vote, 275,001 of these live in the Gaza Strip. This places the percentage of registered eligible voters at well over 90%. BN
