Mahmoud Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections to 2027

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 10 Oct, 15:19 · Archive

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed legislative elections scheduled for next month to September 2027.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Friday postponing legislative elections to September 2027, delaying what would have been the first parliamentary vote in nearly 20 years. Presidential elections, which have not taken place for over two decades, are scheduled for the same date.

The Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee said in a statement that conditions in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza were not conducive to holding elections. It noted that Israel had not allowed election materials or international observers to enter Gaza. Palestinian factions across the political spectrum met in Cairo to discuss delaying the vote.

The postponement leaves entrenched Palestinian leaders, particularly Abbas' party Fatah, unchallenged at the ballot box. It threatens to further erode the Palestinian Authority's credibility among ordinary Palestinians and the donor countries that fund it. The Authority, which has administered semiautonomous parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the 1990s, has grown increasingly unpopular during Abbas' presidency, with many Palestinians viewing it as corrupt and criticising its security cooperation with Israel.

Palestinians last held a legislative election in 2006, when Hamas won a majority of seats. Israel and Western countries subsequently boycotted the Hamas government, fuelling unrest that led to Hamas taking control of Gaza the following year.

How it is being reported

• Mahmoud Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections another yearPalestinians won't head to the polls next month to vote on reviving a dissolved parliament.Clickorlando · 10 Oct, 14:23
• Mahmoud Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections another yearPalestinians won't head to the polls next month to vote on reviving a dissolved parliament.News4Jax · 10 Oct, 14:23

In this story: Mahmoud Abbas · Palestinian Authority · Fatah · Hamas · West Bank · Gaza Strip

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