Launch of the Palestinian Local Elections for 2026

SadaNews - The Palestinian local elections for 2026 began at 7 AM today, Saturday.

Polling stations across various governorates in the West Bank opened their doors to voters.

The elections will take place in the Gaza Strip, specifically in Deir al-Balah, as it is the most prepared area for this in light of the ongoing major war affecting the region.

The electoral register includes approximately one million and 30 thousand citizens, of whom 70,449 are voters in Deir al-Balah.

Voters will elect their representatives in 183 local bodies out of a total of 420.

According to the Central Elections Commission, registered voters (1,029,550) are distributed by gender into 494,733 males in the West Bank, representing 51.6%, and 464,368 females, representing 48.4%. The number of voters with disabilities in the West Bank reached 31,570, accounting for 3.3%, including 14,768 women and 16,802 men.

Voting will be held in 90 municipal councils, including Deir al-Balah, where 321 electoral lists compete, comprising 3,773 candidates, including 2,573 men and 1,200 women. Among these, eight lists are headed by women, comprising 12% of party representation, while independents make up 88%. Additionally, elections will be held in 93 village councils, with 1,358 candidates, including 1,049 men and 309 women.

According to the Central Elections Commission, the number of local bodies that will form their councils by acclamation reached 42 municipal councils and 155 village councils.

The Commission has prepared 491 polling centers, including 12 centers in Deir al-Balah, comprising 1,922 voting stations, including 100 stations in Deir al-Balah.

The Central Elections Commission has accredited 6,463 agents for electoral lists and candidates, 145 guests and diplomats, and 2,539 observers from 69 accredited monitoring bodies, including 336 observers from 12 organizations in Deir al-Balah. Additionally, 806 journalists from 120 media outlets, including 14 international media, have been accredited, with 131 journalists accredited in Deir al-Balah.

The local elections for 2026 are being conducted according to the new elections law, issued on November 19, 2025, which established two electoral systems: the proportional representation system (open list) for municipal councils and the majority system (individual candidacy) for village councils.

Under the law, candidacy in municipal councils occurs through open lists, with the electoral list's name and all its candidates' names included on the ballot. The number of candidates on the list must equal the number of seats allocated to the municipal council. Voters select one list and up to five (5) candidates or fewer from the same list they voted for, regardless of the number of seats in the municipal council.