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Palestinians To Vote In 1st Elections In 20 Years
Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza’s Deir el-Balah area head to municipal elections—the first such vote since the Gaza war. The contest features a narrow field, with most lists aligned to Fatah or running as independents, while some cities see automatic results due to a single submitted list.
Why It Matters
The vote marks a rare electoral process amid conflict and post-war conditions, testing Palestinian governance and democratic mechanisms under challenging circumstances.
Timeline
9 Events
Background: Gaza's last major electoral milestone
April 25, 2026
Gaza will see its first vote since the 2006 legislative elections that Hamas won, underscoring the political and electoral context of the polling.
Background: Abbas and repeated election promises
April 25, 2026
Abbas, now 90, has remained in power for more than 20 years without ever being re-elected and frequently promises legislative and presidential elections that have never taken place.
Public reaction from Gaza resident
April 25, 2026
Farah Shaath, 25, expressed excitement to vote for the first time, calling the election a 'confirmation of existence' for Gaza residents.
Gaza security and staffing details for Deir el-Balah vote
April 25, 2026
The election commission says it recruited polling staff from civil society organizations and hired a private security company to secure polling centres. A Gaza-based source says Hamas police insisted on securing the electoral process in Deir el-Balah, deploying unarmed security personnel around 12 polling centres.
UN praise for the process
April 25, 2026
UN coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov commended the commission for organizing a credible process, calling Saturday's elections an important opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights during a challenging period.
Automatic wins in cities with single submitted list
April 25, 2026
In cities such as Nablus and Ramallah, only one list has been submitted, meaning it wins automatically without a vote.
Election lists and affiliations outlined
April 25, 2026
Most electoral lists are aligned with president Mahmud Abbas's secular-nationalist Fatah party or running as independents. There are no lists affiliated with Hamas, which controls part of Gaza.
Voter registration figures reported
April 25, 2026
Nearly 1.5 million people are registered to vote in the West Bank, and about 70,000 people in Gaza's Deir el-Balah area, according to the Central Elections Commission.
Polls open in West Bank and Deir el-Balah as municipal elections begin
April 25, 2026
Polling stations in the West Bank will be open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm (0400-1900 GMT). In Deir el-Balah, polling will close at 5:00 pm to facilitate daylight counting due to electricity constraints in the war-devastated Gaza Strip.