The project is planned in three stages with related activities. The first stage involves the commissioning of five papers from academics and professionals representing various schools of thought. The second stage is the organisation of workshops in community and education centres in Nablus, Hebron, Gaza and two in Jerusalem where the papers will be presented and discussed. The third and conclusive stage will be a publication containing all papers written and a summary of ideas raised in the various workshops. PASSIA hopes that this project will provide a forum for open and free debate on aspects of democracy in relation to Palestinian society and strongly encourage greater awareness of the value and importance of open and fair elections.

The authors, subjects chosen for the papers and the areas each will cover are as follows:

1. Author - Raja Shehadeh. Lawyer; Co-founder of Al Haq, the West Bank affiliate of the International commission of Jurists in Geneva; member of legal advisory committee for the Palestinian delegation in the Middle East Peace Process. Subject-"Jurisdiction and National Authority in the Transitional phase and the Final Arrangement." Areas to be covered: *questions of legislation and the relationship between lawyers, judges, and their organisations. *how will the Palestinian judicial system evolve considering the background of former bodies: Ottoman, British, Jordanian, Egyptian and Israeli? *other legal issues.

2.. Author - Dr. Khalil Shikaki. Assistant Professor of Political Science, An-Najah University, Nablus; Director of the Center for Palestine Research and Studies, Nablus. Author of various studies on the Palestine Question. Subject-"The Relationship between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank during the Transitional Phase." Areas to be covered: *how will a federal relationship in the occupied territories ensure the integrity and safety of them as a single unit? *how will the two areas be represented in national bodies? *will the level of representation differ for refugee camps, villages, and major towns?

3. Author - Ali Jarbawi. Assistant Professor of Political Science, BirZeit University; political commentator and columnist. Subject-"Mechanisms for Palestinian Elections: The Laws, Candidates and the Electorate, Parties, Funding and the Media." Areas to be covered: *which laws should govern elections? (international, Jordanian, etc.) *who should elected officials represent? ( social groups, geographic regions, classes?) *should candidates run individually or as representatives of political parties or a combination? *who will supervise elections? (local, regional, or third party: international or UN observers?) *who will be on the list of nominees? *how will Palestinians in the diaspora, returnees, expellees, detainees participate? *who has the right to vote? *what will the role of financing be, what restrictions will be placed on it? *will the elections be general or limited only to specific arenas like local councils?

4. Author - Mahdi Abdul Hadi. Academic; member of the Palestinian delegation to the multilateral working group on Refugees in the Middle East peace process; political analyst and author of various studies on the Palestine Question. Subject-"Democracy in Theory and Practice among Palestinian Factions in the Occupied Territories including Islamic Political Trends. Areas to be covered: *the evolution of the Palestinian National movement 1967-1982 *the relationship between various politi tionship be to the national authority? *what relationship will it have to the political factions? *will television be independent or affiliated with the system? *will journalistic associations be affiliated with the system, with political factions, or be independent? *censorship?

So far three of the papers are completed and are being finally edited for publication.

Plans for the first workshop have been made and it is intended that this will be held soon.