Abbas postpones Palestinian elections to September 2027

On October 10, 2026, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed a decree postponing the Palestinian Legislative Council elections previously scheduled for November 28, 2026, and merged them with a presidential election now set for September 11, 2027. The move extends an electoral drought stretching back to 2006, when Hamas won the last parliamentary vote. The Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, chaired by Abbas, said in a statement that conditions in occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip were 'not conducive' to holding a credible vote, noting that Israel had refused to allow election materials and international observers into Gaza. Abbas, in power since 2005 and now 90, has repeatedly delayed votes during his tenure, and critics inside Fatah, Hamas and civil society accused him of entrenching one-man rule at a moment of acute Palestinian crisis. The announcement was carried by Al Jazeera, France 24, The Washington Post, CBS News and The National, with analysts warning the delay deepens the legitimacy gap of Palestinian institutions a year after the Gaza ceasefire began.