Palestinians hold local elections in occupied West Bank

The Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, is boycotting the elections and refusing to hold them in the isolated territory

Palestinians voted in local elections in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, less than a year after President Mahmoud Abbas called off parliamentary elections that would have likely loosened his party's grip on power.

Most candidates ran as independents, though many have ties to Mr. Abbas' Fatah party, and the outcomes will largely depend on local dynamics. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, is boycotting the elections and refusing to hold them in the isolated territory.

A first round was held in December in rural areas, where local politics are dominated by powerful families. Saturday's voting was held in urban areas, where there is more visible opposition to Fatah, but the local elections are unlikely to produce any clear referendum on its leadership.

Of the 102 localities, only 50 saw more than one electoral list compete, according to the Central Elections Commission. Municipal elections were last held in 2017.

Ruhaifah Abdelrahim, a politically independent retired schoolteacher, said she was determined to exercise her right to vote whenever she could.

“People are always demonstrating, always talking... but how are we supposed to change the situation or improve it if there are no elections?” she said after voting at an elementary school. “Godwilling, there will be parliamentary elections so the people can choose leaders who will serve the country and the nation. People are really suffering from the occupation, from the poor administration and corruption.”

A steady stream of voters could be seen outside polling stations in and around the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the PA is headquartered. A few people waved Fatah flags outside one of them, and a large banner promoting one of the few official Fatah lists hung alongside others advertising independents.