Palestinian Authority Postpones Elections to September 2027
Graduated in journalism from Paulista University. Worked in media such as Folha de S.Paulo and Rede Brasil de Televisão. She is an Oeste reporter in São Paulo.
TL;DR
- Palestinian Authority postpones legislative elections from November 2026 to September 11, 2027.
- Presidential elections are also scheduled for September 11, 2027.
- President Mahmoud Abbas cited political and security obstacles, including Israeli actions and restrictions, as reasons for the postponement.
- The decree mentions the need for conditions suitable for 'free, fair, and inclusive elections'.
- Obstacles cited include Israeli military actions, settlement expansion, settler violence, and movement restrictions in the West Bank.
- Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Saar disputes Abbas's claims, calling them an attempt to avoid accountability.
- Authorities in Gaza cite security and humanitarian conditions as hindrances to organizing elections.
- Palestinians have not held presidential elections since 2005 or legislative elections since 2006.
- Abbas has governed by decree since 2009, following Hamas's takeover of Gaza in 2007.
- Previous municipal elections were held in April 2026 in the West Bank and Deir al-Balah.
- The postponement follows Abbas's recent commitments to hold elections at the UN General Assembly and to French and Saudi leaders.