Voting in the 2026 Palestinian local elections in the occupied West Bank ended at 7 pm on Saturday, while voting in the Deir al-Balah municipal elections ended at 6 pm amid weak turnout at polling stations.
Hebron municipal election results
Preliminary results of the 2026 Hebron municipal elections showed that candidate Engineer Yousef Al-Ja’bari topped the list of votes, followed by Dr. Khaled Al-Qawasmi and Muammar Al-Awiwi, within the “Steadfastness and Giving” list, which won 13 out of 15 seats in the municipal council.
Preliminary results of the Deir al-Balah elections
Nahdet Deir al-Balah (6 seats),
Al-Mustaqbal (5 seats),
Deir al-Balah Tajammu’na (2 seats),
Al-Salam wal-Bina’ (2 seats)
Following the publication of the results of the 2026 local elections in the councils of Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Jericho, Hebron, Tubas, Salfit and Deir al-Balah, the “Safa” agency will provide you with the results first-hand here.
The head of the committee, Rami Hamdallah, said during a press conference held in Al-Bireh that the electoral process took place in very complex circumstances, but it was completed with integrity and transparency.
Al-Hamdallah explained that the new election law was implemented for the first time, and included the open list system and the individual system, which necessitated extensive awareness programs and the training of thousands of trainers to ensure the success of the electoral process.
Regarding the elections that took place in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Hamdallah said that the Elections Committee took into account the geographical homeland in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as one unit, despite the great challenges that faced the process.
He pointed out that one of the most significant difficulties was the prohibition on bringing in election materials, but the people of the sector were able to print ballot papers and boxes through local efforts, which allowed the elections to be held in the city.
He added: The voter turnout was 23%, attributing this to the reliance on an outdated civil registry, in light of the presence of thousands of martyrs and the displacement of entire families from Deir al-Balah to other areas.
Hamdallah hoped that elections would be held soon in other local bodies within the Gaza Strip, stressing that the success of the voting experience in Deir al-Balah represents a political message that confirms the unity of the homeland geographically, and the possibility of holding general elections, including presidential and legislative elections, in the various Palestinian territories.
He also expressed his gratitude to all components of the electoral process, starting with President Mahmoud Abbas, who participated in the voting in Al-Bireh, and the Prime Minister for his support and facilitation of the committee’s work, in addition to the various ministries, security services, official and local media, international and local observers, donors, and technical teams.
He explained that the number of voters who cast their ballots was approximately 522,000, while 197 local councils won by acclamation. The voter turnout in the West Bank was 56%, compared to 53.7% in the 2012 elections, 53.8% in 2017, and 58% in 2022.
He noted that Salfit Governorate recorded the highest voter turnout at 71%, while Deir al-Balah recorded the lowest at 23%.
He added that the percentage of invalid ballots was 4%, compared to 1% blank ballots and 95% valid ballots, noting that the decrease in the percentage of invalid ballots was a result of intensive awareness campaigns. Women comprised 33% of the winners.
The Central Elections Commission confirmed that the final voter turnout in the West Bank for the local elections was 53.44%, and published a picture showing the participation rates in the governorates.
Polling stations for the 2026 local elections opened their doors this morning, Saturday, in Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, Jericho, Tubas, Salfit, Qalqilya, Tulkarm and Deir al-Balah, to receive about 1.3 million citizens to elect their representatives in 183 local bodies.
The elections include 90 municipal councils, including Deir al-Balah, in which 321 electoral lists comprising 3,773 candidates are competing, in addition to 93 village councils in which 1,358 candidates are competing for seats.
Voter turnout in the 2026 Palestinian local elections
According to the Election Commission, the number of voters reached 418,223 by 5 pm today, out of a total of 1,029,550 eligible voters, while the voter turnout in Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip reached 21.2%.
The Palestinian Central Elections Commission called on citizens who have not yet voted to quickly go to their polling stations and exercise their democratic right.
Election mechanism
The 2026 local elections will be held in accordance with the new election law issued on November 19, 2025, which established two different electoral systems: the proportional representation system (open list) for municipal councils, and the majority system (individual candidacy) for village councils.
The voting process in municipal councils is done by placing a checkmark inside the box to the right of only one electoral list, and then choosing five candidates from the same list.
In village councils, the voter chooses five male and female candidates from among the names that appear on the ballot paper.
The vote counting process takes place inside the polling stations in the presence of observers, list agents and journalists, and the results are documented in official records that are posted on the doors of the stations, before being transferred to the central data entry center.
The Central Election Commission is scheduled to announce the final results tomorrow, Sunday, during a press conference, and they will be subject to appeal before the Election Court within one week of their announcement.
First elections in Deir al-Balah in 20 years
In Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, the first local municipal elections began this morning after a hiatus of 20 consecutive years, as citizens began flocking to polling stations spread throughout the city, where the number of those eligible to vote is estimated at 70,000 citizens.
The election committee identified 12 locations spread across the main areas and near residential communities in Deir al-Balah, to facilitate the voting process for citizens, and to ensure that the largest possible number of them vote in the elections.
During the election process, four electoral lists are competing: the “Peace and Construction” list, “Deir al-Balah Unites Us,” “Future of Deir al-Balah,” and the “Renaissance of Deir al-Balah” list. Each electoral list includes 15 candidates, including at least four women, and the mayor will be elected from among them.
It is worth noting that the last elections held in the Gaza Strip were in 2006, and no elections have been held since, due to the continued Palestinian division. Local elections, local elections in Palestine, local elections in Palestine 2026, local elections 2026 , results of local elections in Palestine, results of local elections, results of local elections in Palestine 2026, results of local elections 2026 in Palestine, municipal elections , municipal elections 2026 , municipal elections in Palestine 2026, results of municipal elections in Palestine , results of municipal elections in Palestine 2026, results of municipal elections 2026 in Palestine, results of municipal elections, results of local elections 2026 in Deir al-Balah , election results 2026 in Palestine, election results in Hebron , results of local elections 2026 in Ramallah, results of local elections 2026 in Nablus , results of local elections 2026 in Jenin, results of local elections 2026 in Hebron
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