Pal-Think accredited by the Central Elections Commission to observe the local-body elections in Deir al-Balah governorate

Gaza — Pal-Think for Strategic Studies

Pal-Think for Strategic Studies has announced that it has received official accreditation from the Palestinian Central Elections Commission as an observer body for the 2026 local-authority council elections, scheduled for the twenty-fifth of April, in the Deir al-Balah governorate within the southern governorates of the occupied Palestinian territories.

The accreditation was granted under Article Four of the regulations for accrediting local-election observer bodies and observers, after the institution submitted its official application in February 2026 and the Elections Commission reviewed the documents and papers attached to it, before issuing the final decision of acceptance.

Pal-Think — staff and management — expressed its delight at this accreditation, regarding it as a renewal of trust in its oversight and community role and a confirmation of its commitment to the principles of transparency and neutrality that have formed the basis of its work since its founding. The institution made clear that its team will work according to the requirements and standards regulating the work of observer bodies approved by the Central Elections Commission, so that observation contributes to strengthening the integrity of the electoral process and safeguarding citizens' right to a free and fair ballot.

The institution's participation in this electoral moment comes in a highly sensitive context: the local elections in the Gaza Strip are a fundamental pillar for rebuilding the institutions of local government and entrenching popular participation in the management of public affairs — something Pal-Think has laboured on in research, analysis, and advocacy over the past years.

The Central Elections Commission had announced that local-authority council elections would be held in a number of governorates on the twenty-fifth of April 2026, a step counted among the most prominent democratic milestones at the local level in the current period.

Pal-Think for Strategic Studies is an independent, non-governmental Palestinian research institution working in the fields of democracy, governance, human rights, and public policy, headquartered in Gaza City.