Palestinians vote in municipal elections in West Bank and Gaza's Deir el-Balah
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
Palestinians in the West Bank and the Deir el-Balah area of Gaza participated in municipal elections on Saturday, marking the first vote since the Gaza war. Nearly 1.5 million people are registered to vote in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, alongside 70,000 in Deir el-Balah. Polling stations opened at 7 am GMT. Most electoral lists are affiliated with President Mahmud Abbas鈥檚 Fatah party or feature independent candidates, with no lists from Hamas. Municipal councils are responsible for basic services like water, sanitation, and local infrastructure, and do not enact legislation. The Palestinian Authority faces criticism regarding corruption and declining legitimacy, with these local elections becoming one of the few functioning democratic institutions as national elections remain frozen. UN coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov praised the election commission for organizing a "credible process." While some voters expressed little hope for significant change due to the Israeli occupation, others viewed the elections as an important opportunity to exercise democratic rights and demonstrate a "will to live" and a desire for rebuilding Gaza. Polling stations in the West Bank were set to close at 7 pm, while those in Deir el-Balah closed at 5 pm to facilitate daylight counting due to electricity shortages.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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