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This article deals with the electoral process that has taken place in Palestine since the death of Yasser Arafat. It tackles the issue of the internal and regional political changes that have followed Mahmoud Abbas' arrival as head of the Palestinian Authority (PA). What are the links between the Palestinian-Israeli diplomatic agenda and the political liberalization of the Palestinian institutions? And to what extent can the victory of an islamic party affect the opening and development of peace negotiations? The PA is currently trying to stop in some ways the democratic process, fearing an Hamas overwhelming landslide. The Authority is supported in that scenario by the European Community, the United States and Israel, which would have preferred another more 'moderate' majority on the scene.

Aude Signoles is a Lecturer at the University of Réunion, specialist of Palestine. She's the Head of a research program on the Palestinian communities at the Institut d’études sur l'islam et les sociétés du monde musulman (IISMM, Paris) and Associate Researcher at the Institut de recherches et d’études sur le monde arabe et musulman (IREMAM, Aix-en-Provence).