Palestinians Vote in First Gaza Election in 20 Years
Turnout was 24.53% by 1 p.m., and the vote is seen as a test of Hamas support and Palestinian Authority reforms.
- On Saturday, April 25, 2026, residents in Deir al-Balah cast ballots in municipal elections, marking Gaza's first local vote in 20 years. The Central Elections Commission oversaw the process at 12 polling centres for approximately 70,000 eligible voters.
- The Palestinian Authority selected Deir al-Balah for this pilot vote because the city sustained less infrastructural damage than other areas, aiming to restore local governance and link the West Bank and Gaza as one political system.
- CEC regional director Jamil al-Khalidi noted organizers adopted exceptional measures, including relying on civil registry data instead of traditional voter lists due to displacement and loss of records. The system uses closed electoral lists requiring at least 15 candidates, with a minimum quota of four women.
- Candidate Faten Harb emphasized improving water and sanitation services, while skeptical residents view the vote as disconnected from daily survival. Analysts see the vote as a symbolic step toward restoring local legitimacy amid broader political fragmentation.
- Success in Deir al-Balah could pave the way for similar elections elsewhere in Gaza, potentially bolstering the PA's claim to govern the territory. However, experts emphasize that limited local voting cannot substitute for a comprehensive national political settlement.
222 Articles
222 Articles
The Toronto Star
Palestinian authorities call local elections in a Gaza community and the West Bank a success
JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian authorities said Sunday that local elections in a single Gaza community and the Israeli-occupied West Bank were a success and called them a step toward a long-delayed presidential election in the territories and eventual statehood.
For the first time since the massacre of 7 October and the subsequent Gaza war, elections are held in the Palestinian territories. Local policy is at stake, sometimes even the waste collection is in the hands of Israel.
Ramallah. More than half a million Palestinians from the reoccupied West Bank and a small part of the strip participated in the local elections, which, for the first time in two decades, include Gaza on the ballot to elect mayors, in the midst of widespread discouragement, because of the Israeli offensive.
In Palestine, a local vote was held on Saturday, 25 April.
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