JERUSALEM — Palestinian authorities said Sunday that local elections held Saturday in a Gaza community and across the Israeli-occupied West Bank were a success and a step toward long-delayed presidential voting and eventual statehood.
The Palestinian Authority, which administers semiautonomous areas of the West Bank but was left out of the U.S.-drafted Gaza ceasefire plan, described the vote in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah as a largely symbolic pilot aimed at politically linking the territories. It was the first election in part of Hamas-run Gaza in more than two decades. Deir al-Balah, like much of Gaza, was devastated by two years of war but was spared an Israeli ground invasion. Turnout there was about 23%, with officials citing large-scale displacement and outdated civil registry records as obstacles.
Hamas, which controls the part of Gaza from which Israel withdrew last year under the current ceasefire framework, did not field candidates and did not try to block the vote.
Turnout in the West Bank was about 56%, or more than a half-million people, similar to recent local elections. Many races were uncontested. Candidates were required to accept the Palestine Liberation Organization’s program — which recognizes Israel and renounces armed struggle — effectively sidelining Hamas and other factions. Results were dominated by independents and Fatah, the faction that leads the Palestinian Authority and claimed victory.
Rami Hamdallah, chair of the Ramallah-based Central Election Commission and a former prime minister, called holding elections in Deir al-Balah “a significant achievement” and said officials hope to expand voting across Gaza. He said the vote reflects national unity and expressed hope that presidential and legislative elections would follow.
The contests were for local councils tasked with services such as water, roads and electricity. Recent electoral reforms allow voting for individuals rather than party slates, reducing party influence; families and clans remained important in campaigning.
The Palestinian Authority has not held a presidential vote in 21 years, and support for it and President Mahmoud Abbas has eroded amid allegations of corruption and frustrations over settler advances in the West Bank. Abbas, 90, was elected in 2005 to what was supposed to be a four-year term; the authority has not held presidential or legislative elections since 2006.
Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa called the local polls “another step on the path to full independence.” Israel, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, opposes a Palestinian state. Many Palestinians, including prominent business owner Bashar Masri, said municipal votes are welcome but insufficient and urged general elections.