Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has officially extended the registration period for legislative election candidates from 12 to 18 days. According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, this change was enacted through an amendment to the 2007 General Elections Law. The adjustment is designed to provide political factions and independent candidates with more time to finalize their applications while navigating significant administrative and military movement restrictions imposed by Israel, as well as the volatile political and security landscape across the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and occupied East Jerusalem.
The Central Elections Commission, which commenced candidate registration on Saturday for the elections set for November 28, confirmed that it had received an application from a seventh electoral list, known as Phoenix. On the opening day, six other lists submitted their filings: the Future Palestine Coalition, Justice and Construction, Unity and Democratic Change, the Palestinian National Initiative of Mustafa Barghouti and independents, New Path, and Labour.
Registration does not guarantee that a list will qualify for the ballot. The commission stated it will review each application against statutory criteria and issue formal notifications within three days. Candidates seeking to contest seats in the 132-member Palestinian Legislative Council must run as part of an electoral list rather than as individuals. Each slate is required to field between 16 and 132 candidates and must adhere to specific gender quotas.
If the vote proceeds as planned, it will mark the third parliamentary election in Palestinian history, following previous polls in 1996 and 2006. The legislature has remained largely paralyzed since internal political divisions emerged in 2007, leading to its constitutional dissolution in 2018. A previous attempt to hold elections in 2021 was shelved by President Abbas, who cited Israel's refusal to allow voting to take place in occupied East Jerusalem.
