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The people of Palestine hope to be able to vote again next month for the first time in 15 years: first parliamentary elections are due, followed by the presidential election in July.
The average Palestinian was barely school age when the last elections were held.
Now a generation that was born after the Oslo Accords want to exercise their democratic rights for the very first time.
According to the latest polls, change is to be expected: Two thirds of Palestinians want President Mahmoud Abbas to resign. The population of Palestine is badly marked and worn down by years of economic stagnation, corrupt and incompetent governance, dwindling political freedom and a US presidency of Donald Trump, whose policies have further isolated Palestine from its regional partners. The younger generations are definitely not interested in a continuation of this state of affairs.
Nevertheless, the ruling Fatah movement has announced that it intends to present Abbas as its candidate again in July.
Even within Fatah there is growing unrest over Abbas' decision to keep fighting.
This is also reflected in the multi-faceted list of candidates who will run in next month's elections.
Many believe that a split and fear of certain defeat in the elections could lead Abbas to either postpone or cancel them altogether, as he has done before.
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With the 85-year-old clinging to power, many ordinary Palestinians fear that an increasingly authoritarian climate in the West Bank could undermine the credibility of the elections - or prevent the long-awaited democratic process altogether.
Palestinian journalists, who already suffer from disabilities from the Israeli armed forces, have long been a thorn in the side of the Palestinian Authority for openly criticizing corruption and human rights violations by Abbas' security officials and confidants.
Numerous Palestinian blogs, websites and Facebook posts critical of Abbas were banned.
Harassment and intimidation of political opponents of the Palestinian leadership are the order of the day.
Death threats for visiting family
My own Facebook page, exposing the abuse of power by Abbas and corrupt officials, was temporarily closed during a Palestinian Authority campaign.
A month ago I received a death threat from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - an armed extremist group affiliated with Fatah - for daring to visit my family in Hebron.
My story is that of thousands in Palestine who believe they deserve better from their political leaders.
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There has been little murmur of concern from the international community.
The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken correctly restored financial aid for the people of Palestine, but wisely stayed away from issues such as governance in Palestine or the democratic rights of its people.
To date, there has been no coordination of any international observers in the upcoming elections.
EU officials blame Israel for refusing these observers entry to Palestine.
Parameters for free and fair elections
The international community, led by the resurgent and active United States, urgently needs to enforce the appropriate parameters for free and fair elections to give real legitimacy to the democratic election of the Palestinian people.
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The alternative would mean that Abbas can unwind the well-known authoritarian program: a fogged electoral process that prevents a really meaningful democratic election through intimidation and only serves to maintain the status quo.
There could be no more at stake for the people of Palestine.
Without political leadership that can count on public support, there is little hope of economic progress or peace with the Israelis.
During Donald Trump's presidency in particular, the insignificance and lack of legitimacy of Mahmoud Abbas, who controlled Palestine for 16 years on the basis of a four-year mandate, became alarmingly clear.
Under Trump, the government of Palestine was completely sidelined, while the United States recognized Israel's territorial claims to the Golan Heights and moved its embassy to Jerusalem.
The PLO's Washington office and the US consulate dealing with Palestinian affairs in Jerusalem were closed, and US financial aid to Palestinians, including UNRWA refugee aid, was frozen.
And as the icing on the cake, the Israelis signed a normalization agreement with four Arab countries.
The elections offer the Palestinians a chance to turn things around and find their own voice again.
For the first time, an entire generation born after the Oslo Accords could actually have something to say, experiencing a rapidly developing world around them while themselves stuck in a state of non-war, non-peace and zero progress.
Fair elections would undoubtedly mean that these young Palestinians, men and women, take their future into their own hands.
You are fed up with a deeply corrupt Palestinian government led by an 85-year-old who has lost touch with reality.
They want political freedom and economic recovery: better health care and a real plan that will combat youth unemployment and bring investment to Palestine.
Relationship with mutual respect
The recently changed context of the region could mean the opportunity for constructive dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis - a new relationship based on economic cooperation and mutual respect.
But if the stalled peace process is actually to move forward, the Palestinian rulers must first regain the trust of young people and achieve tangible progress on the domestic economic front.
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The international community is well aware of this.
Now it must do everything possible to guarantee the elections and its integrity, then support a new, democratically elected Palestinian government and thus restore hope and prosperity to Palestine.
A new generation of Palestinians who long for progress at home and peace with the Israelis will surely thank them.
Source: Fadi Elsalameen
Fadi Elsalameen is a political journalist and human rights activist from Hebron in the West Bank. He is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the American Security Project in Washington.