Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has pushed back legislative elections scheduled for next month to 11 September 2027 and ordered a presidential election for the same day, citing Israeli actions and worsening security conditions across the Palestinian territories.
According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, Mr Abbas’ decree referred to “obstacles posed by Israeli measures” and the need to create appropriate political, security and practical conditions for “free, fair and inclusive elections”.
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The decree said voters in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza would be eligible to take part.
The Palestinian Authority election had already faced deep uncertainty, with serious doubts about whether the vote would proceed next month.
“Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian corrupt dictator, who has not held elections in over twenty years, has once again deceived the international community,” Mr Saar wrote on X. “His attempt to drag Israel into this, falsely claiming that Israel imposed obstacles to holding elections, is yet another ridiculous lie designed to evade responsibility and accountability.”
Palestinians have not held legislative or presidential elections since 2005-06. After that vote, Mr Abbas’ rival, the Islamist group Hamas, took control of Gaza and removed his loyalists from power.
Mr Abbas has governed by decree since his presidential mandate ended in 2009.
The decree listed Israeli military operations, settlement expansion, settler violence and restrictions on movement in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as major barriers to organising elections this November. It also cited Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues.
For Gaza, the decree highlighted “exceptional security and humanitarian conditions”, the incomplete withdrawal of Israeli forces, stalled reconstruction and the failure to put in place arrangements for international stabilisation forces and police.
It also said Israeli limits on access to Gaza and East Jerusalem for election commission workers and international observers had further hindered preparations.
The postponement followed consultations with Palestinian factions and political groups. The decree said the additional time would be used for a broad national dialogue aimed at reinforcing Palestinian unity and tackling the difficulties surrounding the electoral process.
Pledge to hold vote after two decades
Two Palestinian officials told Reuters on Thursday that representatives of Mr Abbas’ Fatah movement and rival Hamas had agreed during a meeting in Cairo on Wednesday to defer the elections.
The decision came only weeks after Mr Abbas confirmed the November timetable in his 24 September address to the UN General Assembly, where he was seeking to promote internationally supported reforms.
Mr Abbas had given written commitments to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to hold presidential and legislative elections as part of France’s recognition of a Palestinian state in September 2025.
France’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that elections remained essential and welcomed the deployment of an EU election observation mission.
