On June 10 and 11 in Ramallah, West Bank, members of the local news media and elections specialists gathered to discuss electoral developments in the West Bank. The aim of the workshop was to help the local media better understand the system to improve coverage of the elections and help them better fulfill their role of informing citizens on the system, candidates and voting rights.

Over the two-day workshop, there were nine presentations, followed by discussions, on different electoral topics. Specialists provided an overview of the election system, the reform efforts, different electoral systems being considered, voter registration processes and the role of the Central Election Committee. Another presentation focused on the debate currently being held in Cairo about the benefits of the block vote versus the proportional system.

Over twenty-five owners, managers, and journalists from local broadcast, print, and electronic news agencies were present. At the end of the workshop, the owners, managers, and journalists requested additional detailed training from the Central Elections Committee on voter and party registration. This workshop, organized by IFES in partnership with Internews, is the first in a planned series to assist the local media in covering the elections.

To see IFES Country Director in the West Bank and Gaza Vladimir Pran’s PowerPoint presentation on the electoral framework for elections of the PLO’s Palestinian National Council, please click here.