Ramallah, Jul 10 (V7N)- The Palestinian Authority has announced plans to hold legislative elections for the first time in nearly 20 years, in a move widely seen as an effort to strengthen the legitimacy of Palestinian institutions on the international stage.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made the announcement in a presidential decree issued on Thursday.
According to the decree, legislative elections are scheduled to take place on November 28 across all Palestinian territories, including the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
If held as planned, the vote will mark the first Palestinian legislative election since 2006.
The last parliamentary election was won by Hamas, leading to a prolonged political dispute with Abbas's Fatah movement. The division deepened in 2007, when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip, leaving the Palestinian territories politically divided between the Hamas administration in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
Political analyst Noor Odeh, speaking from Ramallah, said the announcement is being viewed as the result of ongoing discussions between the Palestinian leadership and several international partners, particularly influential foreign governments, regarding political reforms and institutional legitimacy.
The proposed election is expected to draw significant international attention, although questions remain over whether voting can be conducted in all designated territories and whether all major Palestinian factions will participate.
END/SMA/AJ
