Mahmoud Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections another year
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Friday postponing legislative elections that were scheduled for November 2026. The new date for joint presidential and legislative elections is set for September 2027. This decision extends a period of nearly 20 years without a national vote. While Hamas supports the delay to rebuild its support base, the move has sparked anger among Palestinians and drawn criticism from Western powers, including France, which urged the president to reconsider the decision.
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- ✓ President Mahmoud Abbas postponed the Palestinian legislative elections.
- ✓ Joint presidential and legislative elections are now scheduled for September 2027.
- ✓ The elections were originally planned for November 2026.
- ✓ Palestinians have not held a national vote in nearly 20 years.
What changed
President Mahmoud Abbas issued a formal decree delaying the November 2026 vote and rescheduling elections for September 2027.
Live updates
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Mahmoud Abbas postpones Palestinian elections to September 2027
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Friday postponing legislative elections that were scheduled for November 2026. The new date for joint presidential and legislative elections is set for September 2027. This decision extends a period of nearly 20 years without a national vote. While Hamas supports the delay to rebuild its support base, the move has sparked anger among Palestinians and drawn criticism from Western powers, including France, which urged the president to reconsider the decision.
Why it matters
The Palestinian Authority has operated without a functioning parliament since the previous legislature was dissolved. This delay prolongs a leadership vacuum and heightens uncertainty regarding future control of the West Bank. International pressure has mounted on the PA to hold democratic elections to legitimize its governance.
What is confirmed
- President Mahmoud Abbas postponed the Palestinian legislative elections.
- Joint presidential and legislative elections are now scheduled for September 2027.
- The elections were originally planned for November 2026.
- Palestinians have not held a national vote in nearly 20 years.
- France expressed regret over the decision and urged Abbas to reconsider.
Still unconfirmed
- Hamas backs the election delay to buy time to rebuild its support base and fuel critics of Abbas.
- Palestinians are angered by the decision, claiming it disregarded the hopes of millions.
What to watch next
- Response from other Western governments to the formal delay
- Any further decrees modifying the September 2027 timeline
- Evidence of shifts in Hamas support following the postponement
confidence 100%Sources used for this update (27)
- github.com — nocache/README at master · Feh/nocache · GitHub
- classic.yarnpkg.com — nocache - Yarn
- developer.mozilla.org — Cache-Control header - HTTP | MDN - MDN Web Docs
- www.tek-tips.com — What does NOCACHE do? - Tek-Tips
- github.com — GitHub - helmetjs/nocache: Middleware to disable client-side...
- www.smarty.net — {nocache} - Smarty
- The New York Times — Palestinian Authority Says Elections Are to Be Postponed
- Reuters — Abbas postpones Palestinian elections, sets presidential poll for September 2027
- CBS News — Palestinian Authority president postpones legislative elections another year, marking 20 years without a vote
- The New York Times — Palestinian Authority Formally Delays Elections, Despite Western Pressure
- Al Jazeera — Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections to September 2027
- AP News — Mahmoud Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections another year
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