The President issues a decree to hold presidential and legislative elections simultaneously on September 11, 2027

Ramallah - Ofoq News - Today, Saturday, the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, issued a presidential decree calling for holding simultaneous presidential and legislative elections on September 11, 2027, based on the decision of the Executive Committee of the PLO, after canceling Decree No. (4) of 2026, regarding the call for holding legislative elections on November 28, 2026.

The new presidential decree stipulates that our Palestinian people in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are invited to participate in free and direct presidential and legislative elections, to simultaneously elect the President of the State of Palestine and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, in accordance with the provisions of the law.

The decree was issued based on the decision of the Executive Committee of the PLO, and in light of the national consultations with the Palestinian political factions and forces, and the resulting national consensus regarding the obstacles imposed by Israeli measures on the possibility of holding elections on their previous date, and the necessity of creating appropriate political, security, and field conditions to ensure the holding of free, fair, and comprehensive elections.

The decision also comes in order to provide the opportunity to hold a comprehensive Palestinian national dialogue, which aims to strengthen national unity, the unity of the land and the Palestinian political system, address the issues and challenges facing the electoral process, and provide the elements for its success, ensuring the participation of all our Palestinian people in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and the preservation of their political and constitutional rights.

The amendment of the previous date for the legislative elections and setting a new date for holding the presidential and legislative elections simultaneously comes in light of the continuing attacks by the Israeli occupation forces, settlement expansion, settler attacks and the ongoing Israeli incursions into the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the accompanying restrictions on freedom of movement and the continued detention of Palestinian clearance funds, which imposes security, economic and administrative challenges to preparing for the electoral process and conducting it on its previous date.

With regard to the Gaza Strip, the decision comes in light of the continuing exceptional security and humanitarian conditions, the failure to implement arrangements related to the deployment of international stability forces and police forces in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution No. (2803), the failure to begin the reconstruction process, the failure to complete the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip, and the resulting security, field and logistical obstacles that prevent the creation of the necessary conditions for holding elections.

It also includes the Israeli obstacles and restrictions imposed on the access of Central Elections Commission crews and international observers to the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, and the resulting difficulties in completing electoral preparations and procedures, and ensuring the freedom of action of the competent authorities to supervise and monitor the elections, in accordance with legal and democratic standards.

Together, these circumstances affect the possibility of holding free, fair and comprehensive elections on the previous date, ensuring the safety of citizens and the exercise of their electoral rights freely and safely, and ensuring the participation of our Palestinian people in all governorates of the country, including East Jerusalem, as an integral part of the Palestinian electoral process.

Setting the new date for the presidential and legislative elections comes as an affirmation of the commitment to holding the elections as a national and constitutional entitlement, an embodiment of the right of the Palestinian people to choose their representatives freely and democratically, and out of concern for renewing the democratic legitimacy of Palestinian institutions and strengthening the unity of the Palestinian political system.

Pursuant to the decree, the Central Elections Commission is responsible for taking the necessary measures to prepare, organize and supervise the presidential and legislative elections, in accordance with the provisions of the applicable General Elections Law, and to ensure that they are conducted in a free, fair, transparent and comprehensive manner in all Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.