2026 Palestinian local elections
 | |
April 25, 2026
| |
4,097 Council members |
Elections for 403 local authorities in Palestine were held on April 25, 2026.[1][2] These elections took place in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.[3] Domestic civil society organizations, private individuals, and international journalists were permitted to apply to become observers of the elections.[4][5]
The voter registration process, also subject to observation, took place in January.[6] Registrants must be:
- of Palestinian nationality
- aged 17 or older (born on or before January 24, 2009)
- a resident of the local authority of registration for at least six months before the election[7]
- of full legal capacity
Individuals applied for registration online via the Central Elections Commission website, in person at a voter registration center, or at a District Electoral Office (with exceptions).[6]
The fifteen-member Election Cases Court was created on December 25, 2025, by presidential decree-law.[8]
Supporters of president Abbas won a majority of contested seats including some in Gaza's Deir al-Balah. One of the Deir al-Balah lists, largely seen as Hamas-aligned, won only two of the 15 seats contested in Gaza.[9]
Timeline
[edit]The Central Elections Commission describes the electoral process in five stages.[2]
| Registration stage | Exhibition & challenges stage | Nomination stage | Electoral campaigning stage | Polling day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 20–24 | February 7–9 | February 23 – March 1 | April 10–23 | April 25 |
| 5 days | 3 days | 7 days | 14 days | 1 day |
Council seats by locality type
[edit]The Ministry of Local Government published a list of localities for which elections are scheduled by council type and number of seats, in addition to summary seat counts by governorate and council type.[10]
| District | Number of local authorities by classification | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Council | Village Council (9 seats) |
Total Number of Local Authorities |
Total Number of Seats | ||||
| Class A (15 seats) |
Class B (13 seats) |
Class C (11 seats) |
Total | ||||
| Jerusalem[a] | 0 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 10 | 29 | 303 |
| Jenin | 1 | 4 | 11 | 16 | 54 | 70 | 674 |
| Tulkarem | 1 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 302 |
| Tubas | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 138 |
| Nablus | 1 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 165 |
| Qalqilya | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 257 |
| Salfit | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 184 |
| Ramallah and Al-Bireh | 2 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 51 | 71 | 699 |
| Jericho | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 82 |
| Bethlehem | 1 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 369 |
| Hebron | 1 | 14 | 9 | 24 | 35 | 59 | 611 |
| Northern Gaza | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 52 |
| Gaza | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 48 |
| Deir Al-Balah | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 89 |
| Khan Younis | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 87 |
| Rafah | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 37 |
| West Bank total | 11 | 33 | 92 | 136 | 284 | 378 | 3,784 |
| Gaza Strip total | 5 | 9 | 11 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 313 |
| Total | 16 | 42 | 103 | 161 | 284 | 403 | 4,097 |
Note from the Central Elections Commission: "Refugee camps in the Gaza Strip[...] are listed under the municipalities and participate in local elections, therefore, [they were] added as communities affiliated with their surrounding local authorities. There are 8 refugee camps in the Gaza Strip (4 in Deir Al-Balah, and 1 in each of the other [governorates]."[10]
Religious seat allocation
[edit]A presidential decree-law issued on January 11, 2026,[11] mandating religious quotas for certain municipalities. Mayoral seats are indirectly elected from within the councils themselves.[7]
| Local authority | Christian seats | Muslim seats | Mayoral seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramallah Municipality | 8 | 7 | Christian |
| Bethlehem Municipality | 8 | 7 | Christian |
| Beit Sahur Municipality | 10 | 3 | Christian |
| Beit Jala Municipality | 10 | 3 | Christian |
| Berzeit Municipality | 7 | 6 | Christian |
| Az Zababida Municipality | 7 | 4 | Christian |
| 'Abud Village Council | 5 | 4 | Christian |
| 'Jifna Village Council | 7 | 2 | Christian |
| 'Ein 'Arik Village Council | 5 | 4 | Christian |
| Birqin Municipality | 1 | 10 | Muslim |
| Jericho Municipality | 1 | 14 | Muslim |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Voter registration closes for West Bank municipal elections: Palestinian official". Arab News. Agence France Presse.
- 1 2 "2026 Local Elections". www.elections.ps.
- ↑ "Voter Registration Procedures" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Observation on the 2026 Local Elections". www.elections.ps. Archived from the original on 2025-08-10. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
- ↑ "Accreditation of Journalists". www.elections.ps.
- 1 2 "Registration". www.elections.ps. Archived from the original on 2025-02-06. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
- 1 2 "23-2025 EN.pdf" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)[dead link] - ↑ "ElectionCourt LE2026 E.pdf" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)[dead link] - ↑ "Palestinian leader's loyalists win local elections, including some seats in Gaza". Reuters. 26 April 2026. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 Topic: The list detailing the number of council members of local authorities
- ↑ "Concerning the number of members of local authority councils with Christian population" (PDF).
