Palestinians Vote in First Municipal Elections Since Gaza War Began

25/04/2026

RAMALLAH, Apr 25: Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and central Gaza headed to the polls on Saturday for the first municipal elections since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip. The vote is unfolding against a backdrop of limited political competition and deep public disillusionment with the political status quo.

According to the Central Elections Commission based in Ramallah, approximately 1.5 million eligible voters are registered in the West Bank, alongside an additional 70,000 voters in the Deir al-Balah area of central Gaza. Video footage from al-Bireh in the West Bank and Deir al-Balah in Gaza showed election officials managing polling stations as residents cast their ballots.

The vast majority of electoral lists are affiliated either with Fatah — the party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas — or consist of independent candidates. Notably, no lists are linked to the Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. In most cities, Fatah-backed lists are facing independent lists led by candidates from various factions, including the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. However, in several municipalities — including Nablus and Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority — only a single list was submitted, leading to automatic victories without any voting.

Many Palestinians expressed skepticism that the elections would bring meaningful change. Mahmoud Bader , a businessman from Tulkarm in the northern West Bank, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he voted despite having little hope. "Whether the candidates are independent or affiliated with a party makes no difference, and it won't benefit the city," he said. Tulkarm has faced severe disruption, with two adjacent refugee camps under Israeli military control for over a year.

The Central Elections Commission said it enlisted civil society workers and contracted a private security company to protect polling stations in Gaza. However, Farid Ta'amallah, a commission spokesman, acknowledged logistical challenges. An unnamed election commission source in Gaza told AFP that Hamas police insisted on taking over security in Deir al-Balah. The source added that this would be done "by deploying unarmed security personnel in civilian clothes around the polling stations." There are 12 polling stations in Deir al-Balah.

Ramiz Akbarov, the United Nations Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, praised the elections as a crucial democratic exercise under extraordinarily difficult conditions. "These elections represent an important opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights under exceptionally challenging circumstances," he said in a statement, commending the Central Elections Commission for organizing a "credible process."