Will Palestine’s upcoming local elections be worth the cost?
A lot of money is being poured into the local Palestinian elections, but some fear the funds will go to waste when the vote proves divisive and the results are contested.
![PALESTINIANS-VOTE/ Palestinian policemen stand guard outside the headquarters of the Central Elections Commission in the West Bank town of El Bireh August 17, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTX2LI47](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2016/08/RTX2LI47.jpg/RTX2LI47.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=Wl0d0bms)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hisham Kahil, the executive director of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC), revealed during a televised interview with the local Wattan News Agency on July 23 that the local elections scheduled for Oct. 8 will cost $8 million — $5.5 million in the West Bank and $2.5 million in the Gaza Strip — an amount that the government has pledged to provide from the state budget.
CEC spokesman Fareed Taamallah told Al-Monitor, “The $8 million will cover the entire cost of the electoral process, including publications, awareness campaigns, training, staff, electoral materials, stationery and others.”