Lina Altawell
23 July 2026•Update: 23 July 2026
The Palestinian Central Elections Commission on Thursday announced the legal timetable for legislative elections scheduled for Nov. 28, in accordance with a presidential decree and the general elections law.
In a statement, the commission said voter registration centers in the West Bank will open on Saturday, Aug. 15, for five days, until the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 19.
Candidate nominations will open on Saturday, Sept. 26, and continue for 12 days until the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 7, it added.
The commission said election campaigning will begin Friday, Nov. 6, and continue for 21 days, ending with the start of the electoral silence period on Friday, Nov. 27.
Early voting for security forces will be held Thursday, Nov. 26, while general voting will take place on Saturday, Nov. 28.
Initial results will be announced within 24 hours of their preparation, while final results will be published within two weeks of polling day after legal appeals are concluded, the commission said.
On July 9, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree setting Nov. 28, 2026, as the date for legislative elections in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In June, Abbas issued a decree-law amending the general elections law, increasing the number of Legislative Council members from 132 to 200, lowering the candidacy age from 28 to 23, reducing the electoral threshold from 2% to 1%, and requiring at least one woman among every three candidates on electoral lists.
The Palestinian Legislative Council has been inactive since 2007 following the Palestinian political split. Abbas dissolved it in 2018, while the last legislative elections were held in 2006.
The Palestinian territories have remained politically and geographically divided since 2007, with Hamas administering the Gaza Strip and a Fatah-formed government running affairs in the West Bank.
Under the presidential decree, presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the first quarter of 2027.
