Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday 10 October issued a decree calling for presidential and legislative elections to be held together on 11 September 2027, postponing legislative polls that had been scheduled for 28 November this year, according to France 24, citing official Palestinian media. His office said in a statement published by the Wafa news agency that the decree called for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections on that date.
What Changes
France 24 reported that the legislative vote, which the international community had strongly advocated, was due on 28 November, while a presidential vote had been expected in early 2027. In June, the report said, Abbas signed a decree providing for a presidential election at the start of 2027. The new decree sets both contests for the same day.
The last Palestinian legislative elections were held in 2006, when Hamas won, and the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Palestinian Authority’s parliament, has not met since 2007, France 24 noted. It said Abbas won the last presidential election in 2005, that his term should have expired in 2009, and that he has since governed by decree.
The Build-Up to the Delay
According to France 24, signs of a postponement had been multiplying. In early September, Fatah’s secretary-general Jibril Rajoub told reporters the November elections would not be held on time and said holding presidential elections first would solve a large part of the problem. Fatah and Hamas had agreed to hold a “national dialogue” before the legislative elections, and a source told AFP on Thursday that the factions were seeking to postpone the vote. Earlier in October, Wafa, citing a Palestinian Authority source, reported that Israel had refused to allow Palestinian election officials access to east Jerusalem or Gaza ahead of the polls.
A day before the decree, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, accused Abbas on X of “fooling the international community” by cancelling promised elections once again. Holding elections is part of the reforms demanded by the international community, including the European Union, the report said.
Why It Matters
Elections have been a recurring test of whether Palestinian institutions can renew their mandate. The sources reviewed do not report how Hamas, the EU or other governments responded to the decree, nor whether the new date will be affected by the access restrictions that Wafa described. Those reactions, and any further decrees, will indicate whether September 2027 holds.
Leave a Reply