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Why did Hamas win a majority of Palestinian Legislative Council seats in the 2006 election?

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Oslo Accords: Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Self-Rule — Palestinian Authority U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton (center) looking on as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (left) shakes hands with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat after the signing of the Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Self-Rule, September 1993.

Hamas’s victory in the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections was primarily driven by widespread public dissatisfaction with Fatah, which had dominated Palestinian politics for decades. Fatah’s governance was increasingly criticized by the electorate as being both corrupt and inefficient.123

The electoral outcome was also influenced by the specific voting system used in 2006. Unlike the 1996 election, which relied on a majority system that heavily favored Fatah, the 2006 contest utilized a mixed system of majority and proportional representation. Under this structure, Hamas secured 74 of the 132 available seats despite receiving 44 percent of the vote, compared to Fatah’s 41 percent.4

While Hamas had previously boycotted the political process, its decision to participate in the 2006 elections marked a shift in its strategy, allowing it to capitalize on the political climate and the perceived failures of the incumbent leadership.35