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Palestinian elections will not bring real change: Mustafa Barghouti
April 26, 2026
Posted 1 hour ago by
As Palestinians prepare for municipal elections across the West Bank and Gaza — the first in nearly two decades — an Al Jazeera interview examined whether the process represents genuine democratic reform. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative and former Palestinian Minister of Information, told Al Jazeera from Ramallah that the elections "do not" bring a new political reality and will only maintain "the same system that was there all the time." He explained that elections are happening in only 42 percent of communities (183 out of 429), with 49 communities having no candidates and 197 communities having only one list — meaning "no real elections" there.
Barghouti said the Palestinian Authority imposed a condition requiring candidates to commit to its political program, which he called "a constitutional violation of people's rights to freedom of expression and freedom of belief," leading his party and others to boycott. He noted that there have been no legislative council elections for 20 years and no presidential elections for 21 years, adding that elections did not take place in the north of Gaza, in Rafah, or in other parts of the Strip because these areas are "occupied by the Israeli army, which of course does not allow people to have normal life or normal ability to have elections" — noting that Gaza City has not held elections since 1956. Barghouti warned that actual participation is only 17 percent, and that without free democratic elections — presidential, legislative and for the Palestinian National Council — "we cannot speak about separation of powers, and all the powers in the Palestinian Authority are concentrated in the hands of a small number of people." Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #Palestine #PalestineLegislativeElections #WestBank #Gaza #PalestineMunicipalElections #PalestinianElections#PalestinianAuthority #PA #IsraeliOccupation #GazaWar
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