Abbas delayed a planned legislative vote and set both elections for September 2027.
Why it matters: The decree changes a scheduled November 2026 legislative election into simultaneous presidential and legislative voting. It also sets a new timetable for national elections after the last legislative vote in 2006.
- Abbas moved the planned legislative election from November 28, 2026, to September 11, 2027.
- The new decree schedules presidential and legislative elections on the same day.
- Abbas cited Israeli measures and the need for conditions for free, fair and inclusive elections.
- The Palestinian Legislative Council has not been elected since 2006, when Hamas won a majority of its 132 seats.
Mahmoud Abbas announced the postponement on October 10, 2026. His new decree sets simultaneous presidential and legislative elections for September 11, 2027, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The previously scheduled vote was a legislative election on November 28, 2026. The new decree expands the scheduled contest to include a presidential election as well.
Abbas cited “obstacles posed by Israeli measures” and the need to establish political, security and on-the-ground conditions for “free, fair and inclusive elections,” WAFA reported.
The PLO said conditions in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza were not conducive to voting. The Associated Press reported that the PLO also said Israeli restrictions prevented election materials and international observers from entering Gaza.
The postponement extends a long-running gap in Palestinian national elections. The Legislative Council's last election was in 2006, when Hamas won a majority of the chamber's 132 seats. The new date would make the planned vote the first legislative election since that year.
By the numbers
- 132 seats - size of the Palestinian Legislative Council in the 2006 election
- September 11, 2027 - date set for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections
Yes, but: The new date is a decree-based timetable; the materials provided do not establish whether additional electoral or legal steps are required before voting.
What's next: The next scheduled Palestinian presidential and legislative elections are set for September 11, 2027.