Mahmoud Abbas has cancelled the legislative elections scheduled for November 28, 2026, and set September 11, 2027, for the next vote
Presidential and legislative elections are now due to take place simultaneously, following a decree revoking the earlier election schedule
The delay follows concerns over Israeli restrictions, security conditions and the practical challenges of holding an inclusive vote across Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem
Abbas Resets Palestinian Election Calendar As Questions Over Political Legitimacy Persist
The decision revises an election timetable that the Central Elections Commission said last month would remain unchanged, after a legal amendment extended the period for candidates to register.
Summary
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed legislative elections scheduled for November 28, 2026, to September 2027 on Saturday, with the vote now intended to take place alongside presidential elections.
Abbas issued a decree shifting the legislative election schedule, according to ANI. The decision delays the vote by about 10 months and changes the timetable previously announced by Palestinian electoral authorities.
Vote Delayed
Abbas had issued a presidential decree on July 9 setting November 28 as the date for legislative elections to choose members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The decree called on Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip to participate in the vote.
The latest postponement is intended to allow legislative and presidential elections to be held simultaneously in September 2027, ANI reported. The move changes the earlier plan under which presidential elections were expected to take place separately in 2027.
The reported decree postpones the vote rather than cancelling elections indefinitely. The new timetable would bring the two elections together as part of a single electoral process.
Earlier Timetable
The postponement follows a series of changes to the election preparations. On September 27, the Central Elections Commission (CEC) announced that it had received a decree-law from Abbas extending the nomination period for the 2026 legislative elections from 12 days to 18 days, running from September 26 to October 13.
The commission said the extension required adjustments to the electoral timetable but would not affect the scheduled polling date of November 28. It said it would publish revised deadlines for nominations and subsequent stages after completing the necessary legal and technical arrangements.
The newly reported postponement therefore supersedes the timetable the commission had outlined in late September.
What Happens Next?
The next step will be implementation of the revised schedule and clarification of the arrangements for holding legislative and presidential elections together.
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The CEC had been preparing for the November vote under the presidential decree and had said its work would continue despite the extension of the nomination period. The reported postponement changes that process and requires a new timetable for the remaining electoral stages.
The September 2027 date would also move the presidential election beyond the earlier schedule outlined by Palestinian authorities, who had previously said the presidential vote would be held in 2027.
Further details of the new decree, including its formal provisions and the revised electoral timetable, were not available in the supplied official election commission notice.
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