2006 Palestinian legislative election facts for kids

The Palestinians held an important election on January 25, 2006. They voted for members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The PLC is like their parliament, making laws for the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). This was the first time they voted for the PLC since 1996. Elections had been put off many times because of the ongoing conflict in the region. People living in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem were all able to vote.

What Happened in the Election?

The election results showed that a political group called Hamas won the most seats. They got 74 seats out of 132 in total. The group that was in charge before, Fatah, only won 45 seats. This meant Hamas had enough seats to form a new government by themselves. Experts looked at the results and saw that Hamas was very good at choosing where to run their candidates. They also didn't have to compete as much with other smaller groups or independent candidates.

New Leaders Take Over

After the election, the Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurei, stepped down. However, the President, Mahmoud Abbas, asked him to stay on for a short time. He was an interim Prime Minister until a new government could be formed. On February 19, Ismail Haniya, a leader from Hamas, became the new Prime Minister. Some international groups, like the Quartet, said they might stop giving money to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas won.

Images for kids

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  Map showing electoral districts and areas of formal Palestinian control (green)

See also

In Spanish: Elecciones parlamentarias de Palestina de 2006 para niños