Mahmoud Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections to 11 September 2027

10 October 2026

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree on Saturday calling for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections on 11 September 2027. The legislative polls had been due to take place on 28 November 2026, while a presidential vote had been expected in early 2027. His office announced the decree in a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. The last legislative elections in the Palestinian territories were held two decades ago, in 2006, and holding fresh polls is part of the reforms sought by the international community, including the European Union. Palestinian factions including Abbas' Fatah and its rival Hamas had agreed to hold a national dialogue before the legislative elections. The PLO Executive Committee, which Abbas heads, said conditions in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza were not suitable for a vote, citing restrictions on election officials and observers and the slow pace of reconstruction in Gaza. Abbas, who is 90, won the presidential election of 2005.