The Palestinian Authority-appointed Central Elections Commission announced Wednesday that voter registration had opened, in the latest step ahead of July 9 municipal elections.
Registration will continue for one week only, a statement from the CEC said, and would include teams sent out to high schools to ensure participation of voters who turned 17 since the last voter registration was conducted in 2010.
All those who were born before 15 March 1994 are eligible, with the CEC estimating that there are some 1,916,803 who are eligible to vote, with some 81 percent already registered in the West Bank, while Gaza registration numbers were said to stand at 67 percent.
Registration will be carried out on the West Bank only, after Hamas government officials in Gaza said a lack of trust in the PA-appointed CEC ruled out the possibility of allowing the body to conduct elections in the Gaza Strip.
Mobile registration teams will visit an estimated 700 high schools during the week, while another 290 registration centers will open in the CEC offices across West Bank municipalities.
Voter registration will not be carried out in Gaza.
Political parties have in the past expressed concern that going ahead with a municipal vote in the West Bank, without participation from Gaza, would aggravate division between the areas.
The term of municipal officials all expired by 2009, but an election called for in July 2010 was canceled at the last minute. The Palestinian Authority said the vote was canceled because Hamas was not participating, but leftist factions -- who appeared to be gaining ground over Fatah in some electoral districts -- said the move was partisan and aimed to ensure continued control over the region.
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