WEST BANK — The Palestinian Authority is holding local council elections on April 25 across the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the first such vote in nearly five years, alongside a symbolic pilot ballot in Gaza's Deir al-Balah. The Gaza vote marks the first opportunity for Palestinians there to cast ballots in local elections in two decades.

According to the Palestine Elections Commission, 5,131 candidates are competing across 90 municipal councils and 93 village councils. The Central Election Commission campaigned under the slogan "We Stay" to encourage participation among nearly 70,000 eligible voters in Deir al-Balah and 1 million in the West Bank. Nearly a third of the electorate is between the ages of 18 and 30.

The West Bank vote will determine the makeup of local councils that oversee water, roads and electricity, while votes will also be cast in Area C villages under Israeli military control and in municipalities occupied by Israel's military since last year's northern West Bank ground invasion. The Palestinian Authority has not held presidential or legislative elections since 2006.

President Mahmoud Abbas, 90, signed a decree last year overhauling the electoral system in line with some demands of Western donors. The reforms allow voting for individuals rather than slates, lowered the eligibility age to run and raised quotas for women candidates. In January, Abbas signed a decree requiring candidates to accept the program of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which calls for recognition of Israel and renouncing armed struggle.

Slates in major cities are dominated by Fatah and independents, some with ties to other factions. Hamas did not put forth candidates. For the first time in six local elections, no other faction has officially put forward its own slate. Ramallah and Nablus will not hold competitive elections because too few candidates or slates registered; both cities' councils are being decided through acclamation. Across the West Bank, 42 municipal councils and 155 village councils will be filled by acclamation.

Central Election Commission spokesperson Fareed Taamallah said voting "reflects the will of the Palestinian people to stay on their land and develop their country." "The main idea is to link the West Bank and Gaza politically as one system," he added. The commission was unable to conduct traditional voter registration in Gaza and could not send materials like ballot paper, ballot boxes or ink into the territory.

"The PA wants to show it is on the right track on political, financial and administrative reforms, and is using local elections as a symbol of that," said Aref Jaffal, director of the al-Marsad Arab World Democracy and Electoral Monitor. "With the weak legitimacy of the national government, it is seeking to bolster legitimacy through local elections," he said.

Palestinian voter turnout in past local elections has averaged between 50% and 60%. "There is definitely a sense of futility in certain places, and I think that makes it easier for places to just not have an election," said Zayne Abudaka, cofounder of the Institute for Social and Economic Progress.