Like most Palestinian teens, Bashaer Othman goes back to school this week after a long summer break.

But rather than hanging out with friends, this 16-year-old has spent the past two months serving as mayor of a small town in the northern West Bank.

Sitting at a large desk in front of three framed photographs of president Mahmud Abbas, prime minister Salam Fayyad and veteran nationalist leader Yasser Arafat, Othman smiles as she signs a document allowing a resident to pay his large water bill in instalments.

"It's not about the title, it's about serving the town," says the teenager, who was just 15 when she took over from mayor Sufiyan Shadid on July 2 for a two-month stint as the top official in Allar, a town of 8,000 residents.

The idea, she says, came out of a national youth parliament project run by the Sharek Youth Forum, which aims to involve youngsters in the day-to-day workings of Palestinian local government.

The project has been running across the Palestinian territories but Othman was the first to take on such a high-profile role, in a move which was "fully supported" by Shadid, she says.

The teenager says she knew "nothing" about the job at first but "with the help and cooperation of council members and the mayor," she quickly learned.

"I come to my office every morning at 8:00 am and look over many files, sign papers and meet with council members. I also have to do a lot of field visits to solve urgent matters," she told AFP.

"I was scared about taking on so much responsibility, it was a big challenge," she said, explaining that her position was "not just a formality" and that she was given "full powers" as mayor.

But she is proud of her role. "I'm the world's youngest mayor, it's incredibly exciting," she says.

After six hours at work, Othman is free to go home, where she quickly switches to a more routine teenage existence -- "playing computer games," she grins.

There are 11 councillors at the town hall, six from the ruling Fatah party, and five from the Islamist Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip. All of them pitched in to support her, she says.

"I was afraid that some of the council members and employees would be against me and not help, but it turned out that everyone was supportive, which helped me do my job."

Shadid said the project has benefited everyone -- both the youngsters and the council.

"The aim is to encourage young people and prove that they can take responsibility when given a chance," says Shadid, who has been the town's mayor for 12 years.

"We must always inject new blood into all Palestinian institutions with no exception so that they don't get flabby," he told AFP.

As part of the agreement, Othman was granted full powers as mayor, although a technical restriction with the bank meant she was only permitted to sign off on financial matters of up to 300 shekels ($75/60 euros)

"Anything above that amount is governed by the bank and they need an authorised signatory, which is me," explains Shadid.

There were a few minor gripes about why a boy wasn't chosen over a girl, but for the most part residents have been supportive.

"The fact that a girl of her age became mayor is a good thing," says Faiza Abu Saada, a housewife. "As long as she is up for it, she should be given the chance."

Well-digger Fahmi Ammer agreed. "It is a great idea. Young people should be given more chances."

For the Sharek Youth Forum, the project has been a resounding success.

"This is the first time that someone from the programme has worked in a real local council for this long and with such responsibility and authority,"

said Wissam Shweike, who coordinates the local youth council programme.

As her time in office draws to a close, Othman now has other priorities to attend to -- like buying a new school bag and uniform.

But the experience has given her a taste for leadership, and she is now hoping to see the electoral law amended "so that the age of candidacy will be changed from 24 to 20," she says.

"I aspire to run for office one day and become mayor again."

<관련 한글 기사>

세상에서 가장 어린 소녀시장


"시장직은 그저 타이틀이 아니에요. 그건 도시를 돌보는 일이에요."

`세계에서 가장 어린 시장' 바샤에르 오스만(16ㆍ여)이 과다 수도 요금을 분할 납부할 수 있도록 하는 서류에 서명하며 미소를 지었다.

책상 앞에는 마무드 압바스 팔레스타인 자치정부 수반과 살람 파야드 총리, 야세르 아라파트 전(前) 자치정부 수반의 사진이 놓여 있었다.

팔레스타인 요르단강 서안에 위치한 인구 8천명의 소도시 알라에서 지난 7월2일 (현지시간)부터 시장직을 수행한 오스만은 3일 임기를 마치고 학교로 돌아간다.

오스만의 시장직무 수행은 청소년들이 팔레스타인 자치정부 업무와 친숙해지도록 하기 위해 샤렉 청년 포럼이 주도한 프로젝트를 수피얀 샤디드 알라 시장이 전폭 적으로 지지하면서 이뤄졌다.

팔레스타인 전역에서 이 프로젝트가 진행됐지만 시장과 같은 고위직을 맡은 것은 오스만이 처음이다.

오스만은 자신의 지위가 형식적인 것이 아니라 시장으로서 전권이 부여된 자리였다며 매일 아침 8시에 사무실에 나와 서류를 검토하고 의원들을 만났으며 현안을 해결하기 위해 현장방문도 많이 했다고 설명했다.

그는 "많은 책임을 져야하는게 두려웠지만, 큰 기회이기도 했다"며 세상에서 가장 어린 시장으로 지낸 것에 자부심을 가진다고 말했다.

그는 실제로 300셰켈(한화 8만5천원 상당)을 초과하는 은행 재정 지출이 따르는 사안을 제외하고는 시장으로서 전권을 행사할 수 있었다.

그는 업무수행에 있어 샤디드 시장과 시의원들의 도움과 협력을 많이 받았다며 정파를 막론하고 협조적이었다고 덧붙였다.

또 남성이 아닌 여성이라는 것 때문에 일부 반대가 있었지만 주민 대부분도 지지한 것으로 전해졌다.

그는 하루 6시간 근무를 마치고 퇴근해서는 일상적인 10대 청소년의 삶으로 돌아가 "컴퓨터 게임을 했다"며 웃었다.

오스만은 "언제가 다시 시장이 될 수 있기를 희망한다"며 "우선 입후보 연령을 24세에서 20세로 낮추도록 선거법이 개정되길 바란다"고 말을 마쳤다.