OMM Redaksiyası
The Palestinian Central Elections Commission opened registration on Saturday for candidate lists contesting the November 28 legislative elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Applications began being accepted at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) at the commission’s headquarters in Al-Bireh in the central West Bank and its office in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, according to a statement.
The registration period will run for 12 days, until October 7. The commission said it had observed “strong interest” from prospective candidates at its offices in Ramallah and Deir al-Balah.
Requirements for candidate lists
Candidates for the Legislative Council, the Palestinian parliament, must run through electoral lists. Individual candidacies will not be accepted.
Each list must include at least 16 and no more than 132 candidates. Lists must also meet legally mandated requirements for women’s representation, including at least one woman among the first three candidates and at least one woman in every subsequent group of three.
Applications must be submitted by the list’s coordinator and authorised representative after the required forms have been completed and supporting documents provided. The commission said applications would be reviewed for compliance with legal requirements, stressing that submission alone does not constitute acceptance or approval.
Election timeline and background
Under the timetable approved by the commission, campaigning will begin on November 6, while security forces will vote early on November 26.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on July 9 setting November 28 as the date for legislative elections in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The vote will be the first legislative election since 2006.
The Palestinian Legislative Council has been inactive since 2007, following an internal Palestinian rift. The Supreme Constitutional Court ordered its dissolution in 2018.
Legislative and presidential elections scheduled for 2021 were cancelled after Abbas postponed them, citing the absence of Israeli approval to ensure the participation of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem.
The upcoming election will be the third for the Palestinian Legislative Council, after votes held in 1996 and 2006. The next council will have 132 seats.
