Palestine to Hold First General Election in 20 Years on November 28

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has set November 28 as the date for the upcoming parliamentary election, the first to be held in 20 years, the official WAFA news agency reported on July 9 (local time).

In a decree announcing the election date, President Abbas urged Palestinian residents in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip to participate in the vote.

The last general election in Palestine took place in January 2006.

At that time, Hamas, a militant group that campaigned on armed resistance against Israel, became the majority party by winning 74 out of the 132 parliamentary seats.

However, a year later, following a violent conflict with the Fatah faction led by President Abbas, Hamas expelled Fatah and took control of the Gaza Strip.

Since then, the Palestinian parliament has been effectively paralyzed and was eventually officially dissolved by the Palestinian Constitutional Court in late 2018.

It remains unclear whether the election will actually take place or under what conditions it might be held.

Israel considers East Jerusalem, which it annexed following the 1967 Six-Day War, as its "undivided capital" and prohibits official political activities by the Palestinian Authority in that area.

However, Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem is not recognized by the international community.

Furthermore, Hamas continues to hold political power in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the long-delayed Palestinian presidential election is scheduled to be held in the first quarter of next year.

President Abbas, who is 90 years old this year, was elected in the poll held on January 9, 2005.

His official term ended in 2009, but he has remained in power as presidential elections have been repeatedly postponed or canceled.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.