Arabic version: غزة تجري أول انتخابات بلدية منذ عقدين

Polling stations opened at 7am (04:00 GMT) on Saturday for municipal elections in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip, marking the first local vote in the area in 20 years. According to Al Jazeera, around 70,000 eligible voters are participating in this electoral exercise, which is largely seen as symbolic due to the ongoing conflict.

The elections also extend to nearly 1.5 million registered voters in the occupied West Bank, who will choose local councils responsible for essential services. The vote comes as the Palestinian Authority attempts to assert its legitimacy in a political landscape marked by public disillusionment and a lack of national elections since 2006.

Most candidates in the elections are backed by President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement, while Hamas, which controls parts of Gaza, has not fielded candidates. This election is viewed as a pilot to connect the governance of Gaza and the West Bank politically, despite the ongoing challenges posed by the region’s political situation.

The Central Elections Commission faced logistical challenges in organizing the elections, having to improvise due to the inability to conduct traditional voter registration and coordinate with Israel or Hamas. Ramiz Alakbarov from the United Nations described the elections as a crucial opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights during a difficult time.