Elections Held in Palestine for the First Time Since 2023 War, Voter Turnout Not High
Palestinian residents in the West Bank and central Gaza cast their votes in local council elections on Saturday, which were the first polls since the Gaza war began in 2023. Voter participation in these elections was lower than in the 2022 elections.
According to AFP on Saturday (25/4/2026), with a limited number of candidates, initial turnout was low in the occupied West Bank, where around 1.5 million people are registered to vote.
However, participation increased in the final minutes, reaching 53.44 per cent, according to the Central Elections Commission (CEC) based in Ramallah. This figure is only slightly lower than the previous elections in March 2022.
Meanwhile, in Deir el-Balah, Gaza, turnout was relatively low, with only 22.7 per cent of the 70,000 registered voters exercising their right to vote.
“We are very pleased to be able to practise democracy despite facing many challenges,” President Mahmoud Abbas told journalists after casting his vote in Al-Bireh, as reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
In the morning, voters arrived gradually at polling stations in the West Bank, while foreign diplomats monitored the election process.
“We will vote for someone who can improve the local community… things like water and road repairs,” said Manar Salman, an English teacher in Jericho.
“We do not receive much support from outside, and the occupation affects us in many ways… it limits what the local government can do.”
Some residents questioned the timing of the elections.
“We do not want elections at this time - in the midst of the war in Gaza and ongoing settler attacks in the West Bank,” said Ziad Hassan, a businessman from Dura Al-Qaraa village.
“This decision was imposed on us.”
Settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have increased since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
“The main thing is security from the settlers. That is why we need new faces, young people who are willing to fight for our rights,” said Abed Jabaieh (68), former village head of Ramun.