Local elections were held in the Palestinian territories on 20 October 2012, with a second part to be held on 24 November 2012.Registration for the upcoming local elections is now open Central Elections Commission A total of 245 village councils, 98 municipal councils and 10 local councils would be elected.

Background Local elections had originally been scheduled for 17 July 2010. However, the Central Election Commission was unable to operate in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, resulting in the Palestinian government announcing on 25 April that the elections would be postponed in the Strip. On 10 June 2010 the government announced that all local elections were cancelled.Local Elections, 2010 Central Elections Commission

As a result of the cancellation, several lawsuits were filed against the government. On 13 December the High Court ruled that cancelling the elections was illegal. The government subsequently announced that local elections would be held in 2011. They were originally scheduled for 9 July, before being postponed until 22 October due to the political split between the West Bank controlled by Fatah and the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas.PA delays elections until October Ynetnews, 17 May 2011The 2011 call for local elections (postponed) Central Elections Commission However, in August 2011, they were postponed indefinitely.Abbas Postpones Palestinian Local Elections Yet Again Time, 20 August 2011

On 10 July 2012 the government announced that local elections would be held on 20 October.The CEC is officially assigned to hold local council elections on October 20th 2012 Central Elections Commission

Elections Local elections were held in the West Bank on 20 October 2012, with a second part to be held on 24 November 2012. Fatah claimed victory after Hamas withdraw from elections.

voting took place in only 92 of the West Bank's 353 municipalities. More than 80 villages were unable to produce candidate lists(a symptom, Hamas claims, of Fatah intimidation). In a further 181 districts, only one candidate list was registered rendering polling unnecessary. With 54.8 per cent of those eligible to vote turned out to cast their ballot

Ms Nour Odeh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority said "We are still hoping that elections will be held in Gaza. A person's right to vote cannot be held hostage to any political faction,".

Hamas Government in Gaza has refused to recognise the election "as a legitimate expression of the Palestinian peoples' will." The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights also questioned the legitimacy of the polls, "in light of the limiting of public freedoms and continuing widespread violations of human rights by the PA."

Results

Jerusalem Governorate Abu Dis Local AuthorityAbu DisGovernorateJerusalemEligible voters5,241Participation52.15%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah1,2886Late Salah EyadDFLP7864Youth of ChangeAlliance (PFLP, PPSF, PNI)5243

Biddu Local AuthorityBidduGovernorateJerusalemEligible voters3,253Participation61.05%ListVotesSeatsFatherland and ConstructionAlliance1,0016Biddu FirstIndependent5173Bloc "Loyalty to the Independent Fatherland"Independent3672

Jenin Governorate

Ajjah Local AuthorityAjjahGovernorateJeninEligible voters2,876Participation69.74%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah1,2106Ajjah Bloc for DevelopmentIndependent5032Justice and EqualityDFLP2061

Al-Yamun Local AuthorityAl-YamunGovernorateJeninEligible voters1,444Participation19.75%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah6718Loyalty to Al-AqsaIndependent5507

'Anin Local Authority'AninGovernorateJeninEligible voters1,900Participation66.26%ListVotesSeatsUnitedAlliance7337FatherlandPPP4864

Araqah Local AuthorityAraqahGovernorateJeninEligible voters1,011Participation66.07%ListVotesSeatsSons of Araqah - Covenant and Loyalty ListIndependent4356Generosity Without LimitsIndependent1953

Arraba Local AuthorityArrabaGovernorateJeninEligible voters5,280Participation63.86%ListVotesSeatsReturnAlliance1,5827Arraba for AllIndependent1,5616

Bir al-Basha Local AuthorityBir al-BashaGovernorateJeninEligible voters624Participation77.88%ListVotesSeatsJerusalem and ReturnIndependent2926Bir al-Basha for AllDFLP1323

Burqin Local AuthorityBurqinGovernorateJeninEligible voters1,787Participation63.64%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah1,0118Burqin for AllDFLP6635

Fandaqumiya Local AuthorityFandaqumiyaGovernorateJeninEligible voters1,638Participation72.71%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah5754Fandaqumiya FirstIndependent3213Our CountryDFLP1441FatherlandPPP981

Jaba Local AuthorityJabaGovernorateJeninEligible voters4,297Participation41.57%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah1,31410Development and ConstructionDFLP4103

Jenin Local AuthorityJeninGovernorateJeninEligible voters17,318Participation44.12%ListVotesSeatsWorthy JeninIndependent3,8678Independence and DevelopmentAlliance2,3125Jenin for AllPFLP7072National Initiative and IndependentsPNI4340

Qabatiya Local AuthorityQabatiyaGovernorateJeninEligible voters8,636Participation56.11%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah2,63110United QabatiyaIndependent1,4335Youth Bloc for Development and GrowthDFLP2810

Raba Local AuthorityRabaGovernorateJeninEligible voters1,754Participation78.96%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah6955Raba for AllIndependent5744

Rummanah Local AuthorityRummanahGovernorateJeninEligible voters1,784Participation61.10%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah7899Palestinian National InitiativePNI2112

Silat ad-Dhahr Local AuthoritySilat ad-DhahrGovernorateJeninEligible voters2,905Participation59.10%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah1,1168FatherlandPPP4243Progress and ProsperityDFLP970

Zababdeh Local AuthorityZababdehGovernorateJeninEligible voters2,121Participation76.85%ListVotesSeatsConstruction and DevelopmentIndependent6554National ZababdehIndependent5013United ZababdehIndependent4212

Tulkarm Governorate

Attil Local AuthorityAttilGovernorateTulkarmEligible voters5,292Participation62.66%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah1,6426Construction and DevelopmentIndependent9133UnityIndependent6302

Bal'a Local AuthorityBal'aGovernorateTulkarmEligible voters3,706Participation73.21%ListVotesSeatsBal'a for AllIndependent1,2225Sons of the Land Hand in HandIndependent1,0454WafaIndependent3542

Baqa ash-Sharqiyya Local AuthorityBaqa ash-Sharqiyya and NazlatGovernorateTulkarmEligible voters4,650Participation76.92%ListVotesSeatsUnity1,2404Independence and DevelopmentFatah7943Construction and DevelopmentIndependent4011Sons of the LandIndependent3681FatherlandPPP3351Country for AllIndependent3331

Beit Lid Local AuthorityBeit LidGovernorateTulkarmEligible voters3,475Participation73.41%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah1,6327Competencies of Beit LidIndependent7884

Deir al-Ghusun Local AuthorityDeir al-GhusunGovernorateTulkarmEligible voters4,987Participation72.65%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah6703BrotherhoodIndependent5182Our CountryIndependent5012Ghusun BlocIndependent3862FreedomIndependent3252Democratic ChangeDFLP3181Deir al-Ghusun for AllAlliance3091Representation of the FatherlandAlliance1870FatherlandPPP1760

Tulkarm Local AuthorityTulkarmGovernorateTulkarmEligible voters27,350Participation56.82%ListVotesSeatsIndependence and DevelopmentFatah, DFLP7,8698IndependentsIndependent2,4253FatherlandFatherland Movement2,2322Our CountryAlliance (PFLP, PPP, PNI, independents)1,7972Tulkarm for AllPPSF6120

Zeita

Local AuthorityZeitaGovernorateTulkarmEligible voters1,805Participation75.57%ListVotesSeatsUnited Zeita ListIndependent5294Independence and DevelopmentFatah4153The RightIndependent2071We are all ZeitaIndependent1271

Elections by Acclamation Elections by AcclamationGovernorateLocal AuthorityListJerusalemJibNational UnityAllianceJerusalemAl-RamMartyr Tal'at Ramih List - Al-Ram for AllAllianceJerusalemAs-Sawahira ash-SharqiyaMartyr Yasser Arafat BlocAllianceJerusalemAsh-Sheikh Sa'dIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemAl-EizariyaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahhttp://www.wafainfo.ps/pdf/s_elazareeh.pdf JerusalemAl-QubeibaIndependence and DevelopmentAllianceJerusalemNabi SamwilIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemBeit IjzaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemBeit IksaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemBeit Hanina al-BaladSons of the LandIndependentJerusalemBeit DuqquIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemBeit SurikIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemBeit 'AnanNational Unity and DevelopmentAllianceJerusalemBir NabalaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemJaba'Independence and DevelopmentAllianceJerusalemHizmaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemQatannaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemKalandiaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemKafr 'AqabIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJerusalemMikhmasIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninUmm ar-RihanIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninUmm at-TutIndependence and DevelopmentFatahhttp://www.wafainfo.ps/pdf/jenen24.pdf JeninAsh-ShuhadaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninAt-TaybaSons of At-TaybaAllianceJeninAl-AttaraIndependence and DevelopmentFatahhttp://www.wafainfo.ps/pdf/jenen41.pdf JeninAl-MughayyirIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninBarta'a ash-SharqiyyahIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninTi'inikIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninTelfitTelfit of TomorrowIndependentJeninKhirbet Abdallah al-YunisIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninZabda Al-JadidaIndependence and DevelopmentAllianceJeninSanurIndependence and DevelopmentAllianceJeninSilat al-HarithiyaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninFahma al-JadidaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninTuraIndependence and DevelopmentJeninRiyadhIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninRayyanIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninKafr DanIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninKafr RaiIndependence and DevelopmentAllianceJeninKufeiritUnited Kufeirit BlocAllianceJeninMisilyahIndependence and DevelopmentFatahJeninYa'badIndependence and DevelopmentFatahTulkarmAl-JarushiyaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahTulkarmSaffarinIndependence and DevelopmentFatahTulkarmSeidaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahTulkarmShuftaIndependence and DevelopmentFatahTulkarm'IllarIndependence and DevelopmentFatahTulkarmAnabtaIndependence, Development and ConstructionAllianceTulkarmFar'unIndependence and DevelopmentFatahTulkarmQaffinIndependence and DevelopmentFatahhttp://www.wafainfo.ps/pdf/tulk1.pdf TulkarmKafr al-LabadKafr al-Labad for AllIndependent

References