Palestinian Presidency: Israeli obstacles behind the postponement of the elections

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decided to postpone the legislative elections, and set September 11, 2027 as a new date for holding simultaneous presidential and legislative elections. The Palestinian presidency attributed the postponement to Israeli obstacles to the electoral process.

According to the Palestinian News Agency "Wafa", today, Saturday, Abbas issued a presidential decree with the new date, based on the decision of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, while canceling the previous decree that called for legislative elections to be held on November 28, 2026.

Thus, the decision moves the legislative vote from next November to September of next year, and coincides with the presidential elections, so that the two processes will be held on the same day.

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 General Elections Law in force.

The decree stressed holding elections in a free, fair, transparent and comprehensive manner in all Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, according to Wafa.

On Saturday, the Executive Committee of the PLO agreed to amend the date of the legislative elections scheduled for November, to be held in September 2027 in conjunction with the presidential elections.

The decision came after discussions between Palestinian factions regarding postponing the vote. In a report prior to the issuance of the decree, the Associated Press quoted an official in the Islamic Jihad movement as saying that the factions had reached an agreement to postpone, in light of the difficulties in organizing voting in the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

At the time, a spokesman for the Fatah movement did not confirm that a final decision had been taken, but indicated that the timing of the elections would be part of the national dialogue and consensus, and that the possible postponement would be discussed within the Executive Committee of the PLO.

Setting the new date comes about two decades after the last Palestinian legislative elections, which took place in 2006 and were won by Hamas, bringing the ballot file back to the forefront amid continuing internal disputes and obstacles related to its organization.