RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed the first Palestinian elections in nearly two decades, issuing a decree on Friday that delays the voting for the Palestinian Legislative Council until September 11, 2027. This decision pushes the elections back nearly a full year, as they were originally scheduled for next month. Notably, presidential elections, which have not occurred for over twenty years, will also take place on the same day.
This postponement enables entrenched Palestinian leaders to maintain their positions without electoral challenge, raising concerns about further diminishing the Palestinian Authority's credibility among ordinary Palestinians and international donor nations. The Palestinian Authority, which is predominantly governed by Abbas's Fatah party, has been administering semi-autonomous regions of the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the 1990s. However, it faces rising unpopularity during Abbas’s presidency, with many Palestinians accusing it of corruption and criticizing its security collaboration with Israel.
The decree to postpone the election emerged after a committee of senior Palestinian officials convened to discuss the issue. The Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, which is led by Abbas, stated that conditions in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza were not conducive to conducting elections. This concern was amplified by Israel's refusal to allow entry of election materials and international observers into Gaza.
The decision to delay the elections was anticipated, following discussions held among various Palestinian factions in Cairo regarding the electoral process. Islamic Jihad deputy secretary-general Mohammed al-Hindi indicated earlier in the week that these factions were leaning towards postponing the elections.
Palestinians have not participated in a legislative election since 2006, when Hamas won a majority of the seats. In reaction to this, Israel and Western countries boycotted the Hamas-led government, resulting in a prolonged period of unrest and the eventual Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007. Since then, power has been effectively divided, with Hamas leading Gaza and Abbas's Palestinian Authority governing the West Bank.
The situation in the West Bank has deteriorated in recent years, marked by increasing violence as Israel continues to expand its settlements and outposts. There have been regular reports of settler attacks on Palestinians and Israeli military raids into areas under the Palestinian Authority's control.
Despite the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan reached last year that outlined a potential future role for the Palestinian Authority, its current role remains largely undefined as Hamas maintains governance in Gaza. Technocrats under the Board of Peace are still in Cairo, awaiting the necessary permissions to transition power and enter Gaza.
Prior to the postponement, major Palestinian factions had not registered to compete in the upcoming elections. Nevertheless, discussions were ongoing among veteran officials to unite against Abbas's leadership. A surprising coalition had formed between Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and a faction led by former Fatah security chief Mohammed Dahlan, who was ousted from Gaza by Hamas and later exiled in 2010 due to a fallout with Abbas.
Dimitri Dilliani, a spokesperson for Dahlan's faction, remarked that “Abbas is terrified by the electoral alliance joining our faction with opposition factions and forces within Fatah that reject his leadership.” Abbas, who has been in power since 2005, has a history of delaying both presidential and legislative elections throughout his term.
