Twelve days. That is how long would-be Palestinian lawmakers get to put their names forward, starting Saturday. The Central Elections Commission said Wednesday that it will take nomination papers for the Legislative Council until 4 pm (1300GMT) on Oct. 7, and that the period runs straight through official holidays. Anadolu carried the commission’s statement.
For families in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, it is the first real step toward a vote they have not had since 2006. President Mahmoud Abbas fixed the date by decree in July: Nov. 28.
The calendar from here
The commission’s timetable is short and fixed. Campaigning opens on Nov. 6. Security forces vote early on Nov. 26, two days ahead of everyone else. The council chosen will hold 132 seats.
A parliament that went quiet
The council has not functioned since 2007, after the split between Palestinian factions, and Abbas ordered it dissolved in 2018. This will be only the third Legislative Council election, after those of 1996 and 2006.
People have been promised a vote before. Legislative and presidential elections set for 2021 were called off when Abbas postponed them, saying Israel had not agreed to let Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem take part.
The commission’s statement said nothing about how voting would work in areas hit by the ongoing conflict. The first answer will come on Oct. 7, when the lists of candidates close.
