Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Issues Decree to Delay Elections to September 2027

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed what would have been the first Palestinian elections in nearly 20 years, issuing a decree to further delay voting for the Palestinian Legislative Council.

According to the decree announced by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, legislative elections planned for next month will now be combined with a presidential vote and set for September 11, 2027. The long-awaited parliamentary vote was originally scheduled for November 28, while a presidential election had been expected in early 2027.

The decree followed a meeting of top Palestinian officials on Saturday morning. The Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, stated that conditions in occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip were not conducive to holding a fair vote. The committee highlighted that Israel had not allowed election materials or international observers to enter Gaza.

Wafa reported that Israeli interference, including military raids, settlement expansion, and settler violence in the occupied West Bank, made the November vote impossible. Additional reasons cited included Israel's withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, restrictions on electoral candidates, a lack of reconstruction progress in Gaza, and the absence of an international stabilization force.

This postponement leaves entrenched Palestinian leaders unchallenged, potentially further eroding the credibility of the Palestinian Authority (PA) among citizens and international donor countries.

Meanwhile, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar accused Mahmoud Abbas on Friday of "fooling the international community" regarding the cancellation of the promised elections. Additionally, an AFP news agency source reported that Palestinian factions, including the Fatah party, had agreed to a "national dialogue" prior to holding legislative elections.

The last parliamentary elections in the Palestinian territories took place in 2006, resulting in a victory for Hamas over Fatah, which dominates the PA. This political split eventually led to factional fighting and Hamas taking control of Gaza. Mahmoud Abbas, now 90 years old, won the last presidential election in 2005, and although his term officially ended in 2009, he has continued to rule by decree.