Palestinian election authorities are preparing up to 110 polling centres in Gaza for about 1.25 million voters ahead of legislative elections on November 28, despite widespread destruction caused by Israeli attacks and continuing security concerns.
Jamil al-Khalidi, regional director of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission in Gaza, said that preparations were advancing on the technical and logistical fronts, with security remaining the main obstacle to holding the vote.
The commission has also prepared contingency plans in case ballot boxes, ballot papers or electoral ink cannot be brought into the enclave, he said.
Candidate registration opened on Saturday, with five party and independent lists filing applications within the first hour.
Security remains biggest challenge
Al-Khalidi said the commission was ready from a technical and logistical standpoint, but stressed a safe environment was essential for voters, candidates, political parties, election staff and observers.
“The main concern is security,” he said.
He urged the international community to help ensure conditions that would allow all sides involved in the process to operate freely and safely.
Al-Khalidi expressed hope that international observers would be allowed to monitor the election alongside local observers.
Up to 110 polling centres
The scale of destruction in Gaza has complicated efforts to identify suitable polling locations, according to al-Khalidi.
“The destruction is very extensive,” he said, adding that it has affected infrastructure needed for the electoral process.
The commission is coordinating with the Education Ministry to identify schools that remain accessible and can be converted into polling centres.
Current plans call for around 100 to 110 centres in the enclave to serve roughly 1.25 million eligible voters.
Al-Khalidi said the destruction had not diminished public interest in the election, pointing to what he described as a strong determination among Palestinians to participate despite the hardships of recent years.
In April, municipal elections were held in Deir al Balah in central Gaza, with tents used as polling centres in what marked the city’s first local vote in 22 years.
Backup plans for election materials
The commission has also drawn up alternatives in case key election supplies cannot be brought into Gaza.
“If the sensitive election materials cannot be brought in, we have acceptable and practical alternatives that would allow the vote to be held in line with international standards,” said al-Khalidi.
The alternatives cover ballot boxes, ballot papers and electoral ink.
He said the commission did not see technical obstacles that would prevent the election from going ahead, provided security conditions allow the process to proceed.
First legislative vote in nearly 20 years
The November 28 election would be the first Palestinian legislative vote since 2006 and only the third since the Palestinian Legislative Council was established.
Al-Khalidi described a return to the ballot box after nearly two decades as an important step toward rebuilding political stability.
“The experience of the past 20 years … has shown us that elections are the way out of our political crises and disagreements,” he said.
He cautioned, however, that elections alone would not resolve every political dispute.
“We do not claim that elections will solve all problems,” he said. “But we believe holding them is a first step that can be built upon.”
He said renewed elections could help expand political participation, strengthen unified Palestinian decision-making and address the consequences of years of political division.
Five lists apply in first hour
Candidate registration began on Saturday, with five party and independent lists submitting applications in the first hour, according to al-Khalidi.
He described the early turnout as a positive sign of public and political interest in the process.
Registration will remain open until October 7, while campaigning is scheduled to begin November 6.
Voting for security forces is set for November 26, two days before the general vote.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree in July setting November 28 for legislative elections in occupied East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
The Palestinian Legislative Council has been inactive since 2007 following a Palestinian political split and was formally dissolved by the Constitutional Court in 2018.
Legislative and presidential elections scheduled for 2021 were postponed by Abbas, who cited the absence of Israeli assurances allowing Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem to participate.
