The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, has raised this Tuesday the sending of an electoral observation mission from the community bloc to supervise the Palestinian legislative elections scheduled for next November, which would be the first parliamentary elections in almost two decades.
"The European Union is ready to deploy an Electoral Observation Mission for the Palestinian legislative elections planned for November," the head of European diplomacy informed in a message on social media, revealing that this was one of the main issues she addressed in a recent call with the Vice President of the Palestinian Authority, Huseín al Sheij.
For Kallas, Palestinians have the right to choose their representatives "in credible, inclusive, and transparent elections," arguing that, "after almost 20 years without parliamentary elections," the upcoming ballot in November would represent a "long-awaited" opportunity to "renew the legitimacy of Palestinian institutions."
The legislative elections are set for next November 28 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in the Gaza Strip, according to the decree issued in July by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas. The Palestinian Central Electoral Commission continues with preparations for the elections in which members will be designated to make up the next Palestinian Legislative Council.
The previous Palestinian legislative elections took place in January 2006, when the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) defeated Al Fatah. Since then, no new parliamentary elections have been called, in a scenario marked by Palestinian political fragmentation and the rift between Hamas, which took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, and the Palestinian Authority, dominated by Al Fatah and based in the West Bank.