RAMALLAH — Voter registration and data updates began across the occupied West Bank on Saturday ahead of Palestinian legislative elections scheduled for Nov. 28, the first such vote in nearly two decades.
Registration centers opened Saturday morning and will remain available until Wednesday evening, according to the timetable announced by the Palestinian Central Elections Commission.
The commission urged eligible citizens who are not on the electoral register to sign up and called on registered voters to update their information where necessary, stressing that registration is a key stage in the electoral process.
The elections are scheduled to take place in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including Jerusalem. Palestinians aged 17 and above are eligible to register.
The data update process is being conducted only in the West Bank, while Gaza residents will be automatically registered based on the Palestinian civil registry, according to the commission.
The Nov. 28 vote will mark the first Palestinian legislative elections since 2006. Coming after years of internal Palestinian division and the Gaza war, the elections are seen as a major test of efforts to rebuild Palestinian institutions and renew their political legitimacy.
Hamas political bureau member Husam Badran said Wednesday that the group would participate in the elections “within the broadest possible national coalition.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on July 9 setting Nov. 28 as the date for the legislative elections.
The date of the presidential election will be announced later, with voting planned for the first quarter of 2027.
According to the commission’s timetable, candidate registration will run from Sept. 26 to Oct. 7, while campaigning will begin on Nov. 6 ahead of the Nov. 28 vote.
Source: Saudi Gazette