Publication
Omar Shaban Ismail · PCPSR — Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research · 2022
A 2022 PCPSR policy paper arguing that completing local elections in the Gaza Strip — suspended after the first phase in 2021 — represents the most pragmatic path out of the political impasse, addressing functional governance needs without requiring comprehensive national reconciliation as a precondition.
A 2022 PCPSR policy paper arguing that completing local elections in the Gaza Strip — suspended after the first phase in 2021 — represents the most…
Omar Shaban
Completing Local Elections in the Gaza Strip: A Starting Point for Getting Out of the Impasse
Executive Summary
Gaza is experiencing a dual political freeze: an internal division exceeding fifteen years, and a tightening external siege since 2007. Within this compounded impasse, this paper argues that completing the local elections in the Gaza Strip — whose first phase was held in West Bank cities and Gaza city in 2021 — represents a practical gateway out of this impasse, one that does not necessarily require prior comprehensive national consensus.
The paper proceeds from the premise that local elections in the Gaza Strip are not a democratic luxury but an urgent functional and administrative necessity. Most municipalities and local bodies in the Strip have been operating with formations unchanged for more than fifteen years, without renewal or election.
I. The General Context — Gaza After Fifteen Years of Siege
Since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007 and Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade, the Strip has languished under a deepening humanitarian crisis. More than two million Palestinians live in an area of no more than 365 square kilometers, with most suffering from high rates of poverty, unemployment exceeding 47%, freshwater scarcity, infrastructure collapse, and weak basic services.
On the political level, Gaza exists in a severe representational vacuum: the Palestinian Legislative Council is paralyzed, the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for 2021 were postponed by President Mahmoud Abbas, and local bodies in Gaza operate under appointed or extended councils without popular mandate. This has produced a condition of diminished legitimacy that burdens the entire governance system.
II. The 2021 Local Elections — An Incomplete Step
In May 2021, the Palestinian Authority held municipal elections in the West Bank and Gaza City only, while the Central Elections Commission suspended the process in the remaining Gaza governorates due to Hamas pressure and complications over candidate lists. Hamas participated in the Gaza City elections through supported lists and achieved notable results. Yet its refusal to allow elections in the rest of the Strip produced a distorted reality: elected municipalities in the West Bank and appointed local bodies in Gaza.
This paper argues that completing this electoral process in the Gaza Strip has become an imperative that cannot be deferred, and that separating local elections from the larger questions of national governance represents the best pathway forward.
III. Reasons to Complete the Local Elections
1. Functional legitimacy for local bodies: Municipalities and local bodies in Gaza lack the electoral legitimacy needed to sign service contracts, obtain international funding, and negotiate with donors. Completing elections grants them this legitimacy.
2. Reducing popular frustration: Fifteen years of representational vacuum have generated mounting frustration among Gaza's population. Local elections provide a legitimate expressive channel that alleviates this tension and restores some confidence in the political process.
3. Building a democratic dynamic: Trade unions, student associations, and professional bodies in Gaza have held relatively free elections in recent years. Completing local elections deepens and consolidates this trajectory.
4. Leadership renewal: Elections allow fresh input into local governance structures, enhancing efficiency and encouraging accountability.
5. The developmental role: Elected bodies can more effectively engage with international organizations and donors in designing and implementing local development projects.
IV. Hamas's Incentives to Accept
In the current context, Hamas has objective interest in accepting completion of local elections: (1) electoral legitimacy, since the 2006 legislative elections are the last popular test the movement has undergone; (2) international opening, since the international community's trend toward re-engaging with Gaza passes through local bodies more than central government; (3) consolidating political presence, since accepting local elections allows Hamas to present itself as a pragmatic actor accepting pluralism within administrative competencies.
V. Obstacles
1. Disputes over lists and representation. 2. Political instrumentalization of elections. 3. Coordination problems with the Palestinian Authority, which conditions elections on the broader reconciliation process. 4. The Israeli position, which has historically been less opposed to local elections than to legislative ones.
VI. Conclusions and Recommendations
The paper concludes that completing local elections in the Gaza Strip constitutes a pragmatic and feasible step that serves all parties: the Palestinian Authority, which seeks to restore comprehensive legitimacy; Hamas, which needs to renew its popular standing; the international community, which wants a legitimate local partner in Gaza; and Gaza's citizens, who want a real voice in managing their daily affairs.
Recommendations: Separate the local elections track from comprehensive national reconciliation; mandate the Central Elections Commission to set a clear timeline; engage civil society; ensure international monitoring.
Topic: Palestinian Politics — Gaza Politics · Local Elections · Hamas · Palestinian Governance · Democracy · Palestinian Politics — Text © PCPSR — Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research — archived here with attribution to the source. — Original source — PDF