Abbas Delays Palestinian Elections Until 2027

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed legislative elections that had been scheduled for 28 November, setting a new date of 11 September 2027 for both presidential and legislative elections, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency. The presidency cited security, logistical and on-the-ground obstacles to creating the conditions needed for elections. Wafa also reported that the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the official representative of the Palestinian people, approved the postponement, saying circumstances had “changed fundamentally” since the elections were announced. The decision drew criticism from Israel and contrasts with recent statements of support from European Union officials for holding the vote this year. On Friday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused Abbas of “fooling the international community” by cancelling promised elections again, as rumours of a delay circulated. Earlier in the week, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said elections would offer a long-overdue opportunity to renew the legitimacy of Palestinian institutions and that Palestinians had a right to choose representatives through a credible, inclusive and transparent process. In September, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica had welcomed plans for elections before the end of the year, describing them as an important democratic moment. The postponement further delays a vote that has not been held in the Palestinian territories since 2006. In that election, Hamas defeated Fatah. The article reports the new date, the stated reasons for the delay, and reactions from Palestinian, Israeli and EU officials, against the background of the long gap since the last legislative elections.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed legislative elections that had been scheduled for November 28, 2026, and set both legislative and presidential elections for September 11, 2027. The decree, announced on Saturday and reported by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, formalizes a delay that had been anticipated in the days leading up to the announcement. A presidential vote had previously been expected in early 2027. The postponement comes amid pressure from the international community, including the European Union, to hold legislative elections as part of reforms to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Abbas of misleading the international community by delaying the vote. Palestinian factions, including Abbas’s Fatah and its rival Hamas, had agreed to hold a national dialogue before the polls, and a source told AFP that the factions were seeking a postponement. Palestinian officials also cited obstacles to organizing the vote: WAFA reported that Israel had refused election officials access to east Jerusalem and Gaza. In September, senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub had said the November election would not happen on schedule and suggested holding presidential elections first as a way to address some of the difficulties. The elections would take place against a long-running political divide. The last legislative vote was held in 2006, when Hamas defeated Fatah. Subsequent factional fighting led Hamas to take control of Gaza, deepening the split between Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank. The Palestinian Legislative Council has not met since 2007. Abbas won the last presidential election in 2005; his term was due to end in 2009, but he has continued to govern by decree. A decree he signed in June had provided for a presidential election at the beginning of 2027.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has cancelled legislative elections that had been scheduled for November and set September 11, 2027, as the date for both presidential and legislative elections, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. A decree cited worsening conditions in the Palestinian territories and said obstacles created by Israeli measures prevented the elections from being held as planned. It also said suitable political, security and practical conditions are needed for elections to be free, fair and inclusive, and called on Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza to take part in the eventual polls. The decree described challenges in both the West Bank and Gaza. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, it cited Israeli military attacks, settlement expansion, settler violence, movement restrictions and Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues. In Gaza, it pointed to exceptional security and humanitarian conditions, the incomplete withdrawal of Israeli forces, stalled reconstruction, and the failure to implement arrangements for international stabilisation forces and police. Restrictions on election commission staff and international observers seeking access to Gaza and East Jerusalem also complicated preparations. The postponement followed a resolution by the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s executive committee and consultations with Palestinian factions and political forces. The decree said the additional time would allow a comprehensive Palestinian national dialogue intended to strengthen unity and address difficulties affecting the electoral process. The article notes that doubts had already surrounded the prospect of a late-November vote. Palestinians have not held legislative or presidential elections since 2005–06. After that period, Abbas’s rival, Hamas, took control of Gaza and ousted Abbas loyalists. The announcement therefore postpones the planned vote while setting a new timetable more than a year later, with the stated aim of creating conditions for elections across the Palestinian territories.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree postponing the legislative elections planned for November 2026 and setting both legislative and presidential elections for September 11, 2027. The Palestine Liberation Organisation’s executive committee approved the delay, which it attributed to security conditions in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. The presidential vote had previously been expected next year. The article notes that the last election for the Palestinian Legislative Council took place in 2006, when Hamas won, contributing to the political split between Hamas and Abbas’s Fatah party. Abbas was elected president in 2005 and, according to the article, has remained in office 17 years beyond his term, governing by decree. Although the postponement was officially linked to security, sources from Palestinian factions told The National that it was mainly connected to efforts to hold a national dialogue in Egypt and address Palestinian political division before voting. Attempts to unite factions have repeatedly failed over disagreements about Palestine’s political direction. Election commission head Jamil Al Khalidi said preparations had been under way to hold votes in Gaza and the West Bank despite security, logistical and technical obstacles. He also said alternatives to ballot boxes and voting ink were being sought because Israel continues to prevent those materials from entering Gaza. The article describes longstanding structural barriers to elections, including the effects of Israeli occupation and the deterioration of Palestinian institutions, finances and political life. It also reports that meetings and tactical alliances among factions seeking to displace Abbas and Fatah have unsettled the president’s shrinking circle of supporters. Abbas is increasingly unpopular: an August poll of 1,270 people by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research found that 79 per cent wanted him to resign.