Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed the Palestinian elections that were due in November, setting September 11, 2027 as the new date for both presidential and legislative polls. The decree was reported by the official WAFA news agency on Saturday.
Abbas cited “obstacles posed by Israeli measures” and the need for suitable political, security and on-the-ground conditions for “free, fair and inclusive elections”. The announcement followed a resolution by the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s executive committee and consultations with Palestinian factions and political forces.
The decree called on Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza to take part in the polls when they are eventually held.
Why the Palestinian elections were postponed
According to the decree, Israeli military attacks, settlement expansion, settler violence and movement restrictions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, made preparations for a November vote unworkable. It also pointed to Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, which has deepened the Palestinian Authority’s financial crisis.
In Gaza, the decree cited “exceptional security and humanitarian conditions”, the incomplete withdrawal of Israeli forces, the lack of progress in reconstruction and the failure to put in place arrangements for deploying international stabilisation forces and police. Israeli restrictions on access for election commission staff and international observers to Gaza and East Jerusalem added to the complications.
Palestinian officials had earlier told France they expected conditions to improve through US President Donald Trump’s peace initiative and a UN Security Council resolution covering the deployment of international forces, the disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops. Nearly $7 billion in Palestinian funds remain withheld by Israel, and officials said the promised steps had not materialised. Instead, they said, conditions had worsened across the Palestinian territory.
A vote delayed for two decades
The Palestinians have not held legislative or presidential elections since 2005-06. Abbas, elected president of the Palestinian Authority in 2005 as the successor to Fatah founder Yasser Arafat, saw his movement lose the 2006 legislative vote to Hamas, which then seized control of Gaza and ousted his loyalists.
Abbas had reaffirmed plans to hold the elections during a speech to the United Nations on September 24. France, which recognised a Palestinian state in September 2025, had pressed for the polls to go ahead. Its foreign ministry called the elections essential and hailed the launch of an EU mission to observe them.
The decree said the delay would allow time for a comprehensive Palestinian national dialogue aimed at strengthening unity and addressing the challenges facing the electoral process.
A volatile regional backdrop
The announcement comes at a tense moment for the wider region. A Saudi-led coalition says it has destroyed 136 Houthi military targets in Yemen, while Pakistan took the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia to the UN Security Council this week. In Israel, opposition figure Yair Golan recently described the killing of Iran’s supreme leader as a “mistake”, and Donald Trump has kept up his own running commentary on Middle East peacemaking.
Frequently asked questions
When will the Palestinian elections now be held?
Both the presidential and legislative elections are set for September 11, 2027, under a decree issued by President Mahmoud Abbas on October 10, 2026. The legislative polls had previously been scheduled for November.
Why were the November elections cancelled?
Abbas cited Israeli restrictions, worsening political, security and economic conditions, the situation in Gaza, and the absence of conditions for free, fair and inclusive polls. The decree also pointed to withheld tax revenues and curbs on election staff and observers.
When did Palestinians last vote?
Palestinians last held a presidential election in 2005 and legislative elections in 2006. Hamas won the 2006 vote and subsequently seized control of Gaza, ousting Abbas loyalists.
What did the decree say about Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza?
It called on Palestinians in all three areas to participate in the eventual polls, while noting Israeli movement restrictions and limits on access for election commission staff and international observers in Gaza and East Jerusalem.
