Abbas schedules Palestinian elections for September 2027

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has decreed that legislative and presidential elections will be held together on September 11, 2027, replacing a legislative vote scheduled for November 28, 2026. The decision postpones the legislative elections, which have not been held since 2006, and sets a date for presidential elections not held since 2005. The decree followed consultations among Palestinian factions and a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee, according to Palestinian officials. Before the announcement, factions had discussed delaying the vote in Cairo. Islamic Jihad deputy leader Mohammed al-Hindi said factions had agreed to postpone the elections and resume national dialogue. Fatah spokesperson Abdel Fattah Dolah said the party remained committed to holding elections, while their timing was still under discussion. In a letter dated October 8 to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh said the political, security and economic conditions anticipated when the legislative election was scheduled had not materialized.