Middle East This Week – January 1, 2019

Each day, 21votes gathers election and political news from a different region of the world. We explore the greater Middle East and North Africa on Tuesdays. Click the map pins.

Turkey Local - March 31, 2019

Hurriyet Daily News reports: The countdown for Turkey’s local polls – set to be held on March 31 – kicked off on Jan. 1, according to an electoral calendar released by the Supreme Election Council.” The Daily Sabah reports: “The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) presented on Saturday its candidates for metropolitan and district municipalities in Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city, in the March 2019 local elections and announced Binali Yıldırım, the last prime minister of the country and the current parliamentary speaker, as the person to maintain the party’s long-lasting rule in the province.”

Israel Snap Parliamentary - April 9, 2019

Ahead of the April snap elections, Israel’s politicians are forming new parties and shifting their alliances. Pre-election polling varies widely. Israel has been on snap election watch for months, with many believing that the governing coalition would not be able to hold together through November 2019, when the Knesset’s term was originally set to end. Last week, the heads of the parties forming the government coalition agreed to dissolve the Knesset (parliament) and hold snap elections. The Economist notes: “The prime minister is on track for a fifth election victory, but his legal troubles could bring him down.” 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking a break from the campaign to travel to Brazil for the inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s newly-elected populist president. This is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister has made an official visit to Brazil.

Qatar Municipal - Spring 2019

Qatar’s government has announced that voter registration for the Central Municipal Council (CMC) will open on January 9. The CMC does not have the power to legislate. Freedom House notes: “Qatar’s hereditary emir holds all executive and legislative authority, and ultimately controls the judiciary as well. Political parties are not permitted, and the only elections are for an advisory municipal council.”

Afghanistan Presidential - July 2019

Washington Post reports: “After weeks of disarray and mixed signals, Afghan officials announced Sunday that the country’s presidential election, scheduled for April 20, will be delayed by three months to ensure the polls are better organized than the chaotic parliamentary elections held in October.”

Palestinian Authority Snap Legislative - By July 2019

Earlier this month, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the Palestinian Legislative Council and called for elections within six months. Hamas was livid. The Jerusalem Post reports: “But while the decision to hold early elections in Israel has engendered excitement and competition among political parties, politicians and pundits, the initiative to hold elections for the Palestinian parliament has intensified tensions between Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction and Hamas. The Fatah-Hamas rift, which reached its peak with Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, is the main reason why Palestinians have not been able to hold long overdue presidential and parliamentary elections.”

Bahrain

Human Rights Watch reports: “The Bahrain Court of Cassation, the country’s court of last resort, on December 31, 2018 upheld a five-year sentence for Nabeel Rajab, a prominent human rights defender, Human Rights Watch said today. The sentence arose from comments criticizing torture in a Bahrain prison and the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Rajab has already served two-years on other charges related to peaceful expression. The date of the hearing, scheduled for New Year’s Eve, raised concerns that the authorities intended to uphold Rajab’s conviction at a moment when it would attract minimal media scrutiny.”

Tunisia

Robin Wright at the New Yorker looks at a new spate of self-immolations in Tunisia eight years after the Arab Spring.

Upcoming Elections
Turkey Local – March 31, 2019
Hurriyet Daily News reports: The countdown for Turkey’s local polls – set to be held on March 31 – kicked off on Jan. 1, according to an electoral calendar released by the Supreme Election Council.” The Daily Sabah reports: “The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) presented on Saturday its candidates for metropolitan and district municipalities in Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city, in the March 2019 local elections and announced Binali Yıldırım, the last prime minister of the country and the current parliamentary speaker, as the person to maintain the party’s long-lasting rule in the province.”

Israel Snap Parliamentary – April 9, 2019
Ahead of the April snap elections, Israel’s politicians are forming new parties and shifting their alliances. Pre-election polling varies widely. Israel has been on snap election watch for months, with many believing that the governing coalition would not be able to hold together through November 2019, when the Knesset’s term was originally set to end. Last week, the heads of the parties forming the government coalition agreed to dissolve the Knesset (parliament) and hold snap elections. The Economist notes: “The prime minister is on track for a fifth election victory, but his legal troubles could bring him down.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking a break from the campaign to travel to Brazil for the inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s newly-elected populist president. This is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister has made an official visit to Brazil.

Qatar Municipal – Spring 2019
Qatar’s government has announced that voter registration for the Central Municipal Council (CMC) will open on January 9. The CMC does not have the power to legislate. Freedom House notes: “Qatar’s hereditary emir holds all executive and legislative authority, and ultimately controls the judiciary as well. Political parties are not permitted, and the only elections are for an advisory municipal council.”

Afghanistan Presidential – July 2019
Washington Post reports: “After weeks of disarray and mixed signals, Afghan officials announced Sunday that the country’s presidential election, scheduled for April 20, will be delayed by three months to ensure the polls are better organized than the chaotic parliamentary elections held in October.”

Palestinian Authority Snap Legislative – By July 2019
Earlier this month, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the Palestinian Legislative Council and called for elections within six months. Hamas was livid. The Jerusalem Post reports: “But while the decision to hold early elections in Israel has engendered excitement and competition among political parties, politicians and pundits, the initiative to hold elections for the Palestinian parliament has intensified tensions between Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction and Hamas. The Fatah-Hamas rift, which reached its peak with Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, is the main reason why Palestinians have not been able to hold long overdue presidential and parliamentary elections.”

Other Regional News and Views
Bahrain
Human Rights Watch reports: “The Bahrain Court of Cassation, the country’s court of last resort, on December 31, 2018 upheld a five-year sentence for Nabeel Rajab, a prominent human rights defender, Human Rights Watch said today. The sentence arose from comments criticizing torture in a Bahrain prison and the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Rajab has already served two-years on other charges related to peaceful expression. The date of the hearing, scheduled for New Year’s Eve, raised concerns that the authorities intended to uphold Rajab’s conviction at a moment when it would attract minimal media scrutiny.”

Tunisia
Robin Wright at the New Yorker looks at a new spate of self-immolations in Tunisia eight years after the Arab Spring.


The chamber of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Ramallah, 2006. Photo credit: Jasmine Haliki

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