The 2006 Palestinian legislative election was a parliamentary election held on 25 January 2006 to elect the 132 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) for the Palestinian Authority (PA). It was the second election for the PLC since the 1996 vote and the first held after the outbreak of the Second Intifada (2000‑2005).
Background
- The election was scheduled under the Oslo Accords framework, which established the PA and its legislative institutions.
- Prior to the vote, Palestinian politics had been dominated by the Fatah party, which had led the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the PA since the early 1990s.
- Tensions between Fatah and the Islamist Hamas movement had intensified, particularly after the 2004 death of PA President Yasser Arafat and the subsequent election of Mahmoud Abbas as President of the PA in 2005.
Electoral system
- The PLC members were elected using a mixed system: 66 seats were filled through proportional representation from a national party list, and 66 seats were elected in single‑member constituencies using first‑past‑the‑post voting.
- All Palestinian residents of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Palestinian refugees abroad (registered with the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics) were eligible to vote.
Results
- Hamas, running under the “Change and Reform” list, won 74 seats (≈48 % of the vote), securing an outright majority.
- Fatah, running under the “Al‑Badeel” list, obtained 45 seats.
- Smaller parties and independents captured the remaining seats.
- Voter turnout was reported at approximately 77 % of registered voters.
Aftermath
- Hamas formed a government led by Ismail Haniyeh as Prime Minister.
- The election outcome led to a diplomatic crisis: Israel, the United States, the European Union and several Arab states imposed economic and political sanctions, citing Hamas’s refusal to renounce violence, recognize Israel, and adhere to previous agreements.
- The international community redirected aid to the Palestinian Authority through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other mechanisms, bypassing the Hamas‑led government.
- Internal Palestinian tensions escalated, culminating in a violent split between Hamas and Fatah in 2007, after which Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip and the Fatah‑led PA retained authority over parts of the West Bank.
Significance
The 2006 election is regarded as a pivotal moment in Palestinian politics, demonstrating the electoral viability of Hamas and reshaping the political landscape of the Palestinian territories. It also highlighted the challenges of reconciling internal Palestinian divisions with external diplomatic pressures.
