Palestinian National Initiative

At the 2005 Palestinian presidential election held on 9 January 2005, Mustafa Barghouti campaigned on a platform of democratization as the PNI's candidate, and in the absence of a Hamas candidate (due to the Hamas' policy of boycotting all PNA institutions) quickly became the leading opponent to PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Barghouti was also endorsed by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, after that group failed in its attempts to organize a single candidacy for all secular Palestinian factions outside Fatah.

During the campaign, Barghouti's fame snowballed after the international press picked up his name as the main opposition candidate. He was twice arrested by the Israel Defense Forces, suffering a broken knee in custody, and complained of discrimination by both the Abbas-run PNA and Israel, which he accused of covertly backing Abbas's candidacy. In the final results, he polled 19.48%, with Abbas gaining 62.52% and the remaining five candidates all coming in below 3.5%.

At the 2006 Palestinian legislative election for the Palestinian Legislative Council, the PNI ran as part of the Independent Palestine list. The list netted about 2.7% of the votes, winning two seats on the PLC,[1] filled by Mustafa Barghouti and Rawya Rashad Sa-eed al-Shawa.[2]

The PNI made minor gains in the first round of the 2005 Palestinian local elections, held in January 2005, after the presidential elections.

In the second round, conducted in May 2005, the PNI by itself or in coalitions won a majority in at least six localities, with a total 10% of the vote for candidates outside Fatah and Hamas.

In the third round, held on the West Bank on 29 September, the PNI ran by itself or in coalitions in 18 out of 104 municipalities and won control of 16 councils.

The fourth and last round was postponed until December.

For the 2016 Palestinian local government elections that were initially scheduled for October 2016, the PNI was one of the five left-wing Palestinian factions that formed a joint list called the Democratic Alliance List.[3] At the elections, which took place on 13 May 2017, the Alliance won 5 of the 3,253 contested seats, gaining 0.32% of the votes.

In the abortive 2021 Palestinian legislative election, the PNI submitted a list under the name "List of the National Initiative for Change and to End the Division".[4] The elections were ultimately postponed indefinitely and did not take place.

Initially, the PNI was in talks with other leftist parties, including the PFLP, the DFLP, the PPP and FIDA, to run on a united left list. However, talks broke down and the proposed list failed to materialize.[5]