Abbas sets Palestinian legislative elections for November
The Palestinian Authority has announced it will soon hold its first elections in twenty years. However, questions remain about whether it has the means and
The Palestinian Authority has announced it will soon hold its first elections in twenty years. However, questions remain about whether it has the means and legitimacy to do so. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday issued a decree declaring a legislative election for November 28. Should they take place, this would mark the first such vote in the Palestinian Territories since 2006. "The presidential decree calls on the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to participate in free and direct legislative elections to elect members of the Palestinian Legislative Council on the date specified," the Palestinian Authority's official Wafa news agency said.
Abbas, 90, won the presidential election held back in 2005 with a four-year mandate that would have ended in 2009. However, the following year, Hamas beat out his Fatah party in the parliamentary vote. The power split led to both the legislature and voting effectively being suspended ever since. Growing calls for first vote in a generation The median age in the Palestinian Territories is about 20 years old, which means much of the population has never voted. Holding legitimate elections has become a demand from the international community that supports the Palestinian Authority (PA) financially.
Last month, Abbas also announced a presidential election would be held in 2027. However, it is unclear how much power the Ramallah-based PA and Abbas actually have. The group has faced significant criticism from both Palestinians and abroad for political stagnation, corruption and decreasing legitimacy. It also remains to be seen how an election might be carried out in Gaza, where the vast majority of buildings and infrastructure were destroyed in two years of Israeli strikes. Moreover, Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) is due to be taking over power in the region after Hamas said they would hand over the reinsto the technocratic panel, as agreed to in a US-backed peace deal with the Israeli government.
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