West Bank local elections, 1976
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Local elections were held in the West Bank on 12 April 1976, on the order of Israeli military authorities and under the 1955 Jordanian municipal elections law. About 63,000 voters cast their ballot, a voter turnout of 72.3%. The result was a victory for supporters of the
Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establ ...
.Yehuda Lukacs (1999
''Israel, Jordan, and the Peace Process''
Syracuse University Press, p141


Background

The holding of elections was the idea of
Shimon Peres Shimon Peres (; he, שמעון פרס ; born Szymon Perski; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the ninth president of ...
, who hoped to establish moderate local leadership in the West Bank that would accept his idea of autonomy. The elections were held under an amended version of the 1955 Jordanian electoral law, which granted the right to vote to all Palestinians over the age of 21, the law having previously restricted the franchise to male property owners.Pro-plo, Communist Sweep in West Bank Elections: 72.3% of Eligible Voters. Including Women, Particip
JTA, 13 April 2013
The changes in the franchise were opposed by Jordan, citing the
Fourth Geneva Convention The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, more commonly referred to as the Fourth Geneva Convention and abbreviated as GCIV, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It was adopted in Augus ...
, which stated that an occupying power should maintain the status quo in any occupied territories", although the PLO supported the reform.40 Years of Israeli Occupation
Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem


Results

The elections saw a change in demographic of the elected politicians; 67% were under 50 compared to 40% in the 1972 elections.Lukacs, p144 The proportion of white-collar workers also increased from 20% to 40%. Fourteen of the 24 elected mayors were new to office.


Aftermath

Mohammed Milhim Mohammed Hassan Milhim ( ar, محمد حسن ملحم; 4 September 1929 – 17 July 2021) was a Palestinian politician, who served as mayor of Halhul. He graduated from the Lebanese University with a certificate in English literature in 1974. He ...
was exiled by Israel in 1980 for being a member of the PLO Executive Committee, as was Fahd Qawasmeh, whilst eight other mayors were removed from office in 1982.Lukacs, p145


References

{{Palestinian elections West Bank 1976 in the Israeli Military Governorate Elections in Palestine (region) Local elections in Palestine