Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has set November 28 as the date for legislative elections, the first in the Palestinian territories in 20 years, local outlet Al-Quds reported on Friday.

The decree calls on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip to elect their parliament. Seats will be allocated to party lists in proportion to the number of votes they receive.

The last Palestinian legislative elections, held in 2006, were won by Hamas.

The result later led to a split between the Islamist movement, which governed Gaza, and Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Whether the vote will actually take place remains uncertain. Elections scheduled for 2021 were cancelled just weeks before polling day, with Abbas citing Israel’s refusal to allow voting in East Jerusalem.

Divisions between Fatah and Hamas persist, while the war and widespread destruction make it difficult to organise elections in the Gaza Strip. The participation of all Palestinian political parties has yet to be secured.

Abbas, 90, has led the Palestinian Authority since 2005, although his presidential term officially expired in 2009. Several Palestinian organisations have criticised his decision to call legislative elections without also setting a date for a new presidential vote.

The announcement comes as Hamas has decided to transfer Gaza’s civilian administration to a Palestinian committee, while retaining political and security influence in the territory.

Source: Al-Quds