The first phase of the 2021 local elections was held across the West Bank in Palestine on Saturday, the 11th of this month. In the village of Burqin near Jenin, which houses around 8000 residents, six lists were put forward, one which was lodged by Qadirat.
Qadirat, which means capable (women) in Arabic, broke the Palestinian elections quota by becoming the first and only all-female election list. Their list consisted of nine female candidates, aged between 30 and 75 years, whose aim is to fill all six electoral seats of the Burqin council.
Qadirat’s focus, according to their media coordinator, Abdul Basit Khalaf, is to change the traditional view of women as nothing but a piece of decoration that is placed at the bottom of electoral lists for the purpose of meeting quota requirements.
The women of Qadirat want to present themselves as leaders of change by shifting the narrative to one where women are decision-makers and where they work hand-in-hand with men, not in isolation. They want to demonstrate that women have the ability to lead in a male-dominated society.
Qadirat aims to attract and motivate the youth and develop education and service projects, especially in health-related fields for people with disabilities.
One of Qadirat’s candidates, Saba Khalouf holds a Master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems and is a mother of five. She aims to enhance the role of women and help demonstrate that women are capable of developing and building skills, as outlined in the Burqin 2040 vision.
Renad Abbas, another Qadirat candidate who is running, is supported by her husband and children She recalls in Khalouf’s message that women should be on par with men in their roles as key decision-makers in their local council.
Abbas shared with Al Jazeera that even if her candidacy is short-lived, she has gained knowledge of the electoral system and its laws and has had a boost in her self-confidence, which is a victory in itself.
In a discussion with Al Jazeera, Khalaf stresses that Qadirat is not focused on being “anti-men”; rather, they want the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process in collaboration with men. He stated that both Palestinian men and women share the struggle of the occupation and as such, they should both participate in the building process of their societies, and hence, also be held accountable for the mistakes they might do in case they hinder the progress of it.
Khalaf added that Qadirat’s women have already faced and surpassed one major obstacle which is demonstrated through the support of their husbands and other men over these women’s participation. However, other obstacles arose.
Qadirat was only implemented a week prior to the opening of candidate registration and the list went through 18 modifications before reaching its final draft. This constant change in the list is a result of women withdrawing due to family pressure or false societal interpretations over their candidacy.
In some cases, women also faced the threat of divorce should they continue with their candidacy for the elections. However, some women argued this case was not due to a hegemonic masculine structure but due to the family’s already existing relationship with other candidates.
Other obstacles resulted in Qadirat protesting through the removal of images associated with their campaigns. While the male candidates’ campaign posters feature their portraits, the female candidate’s posters typically used stock images of candles, flowers, or the Al Aqsa Mosque.
Khalaf stated the most difficult challenge that Qadirat will face is acceptance from a society in which women are not appreciated.
While local councils do not deal with national politics, they are responsible for the provision of basic services to their respective population.
The local elections operate under a system of putting forward “lists” as the means of submitting a nomination for council, either through a party or independently. If only one list is lodged, an automatic victory is counted - referred to as winning by acclamation.
162 localities have only put forward one list, mostly belonging to Fatah, meaning an automatic election will take place. In around 60 other localities, no lists were put forward. In the remaining 154 localities, more than one list was lodged, suggesting that an election is underway.
The overall number of female candidates in the accepted lists totaled 1551, which comprises 25.9% of the 5978 total number of candidates. Additionally, only nine of these lists were headed by a female candidate.
The women of Qadirat placed pocket mirrors bearing the group’s logo to advertise their new all-female list. Their purpose was not of a cosmetic nature but to encourage people to take one last look before casting their vote.
The second phase of voting will take place in March 2022, therefore keeping the opportunity alive for Palestine to have a political future that is inclusive of women.