Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has once again delayed elections, pushing the vote further out and extending a stretch of nearly 20 years in which Palestinian voters have not chosen a new legislature.
Abbas issued a decree Friday postponing Palestinian Legislative Council elections, originally expected next month, to Sept. 11, 2027, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. Presidential elections — not held since Abbas won in 2005 — are now scheduled for the same date.
Abbas was elected to what was meant to be a four-year presidential term. More than two decades later, he remains in office, and the latest delay allows him and other Palestinian leaders to continue governing without facing voters.
The Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas’ Fatah party, administers parts of the West Bank under agreements dating to the 1990s. Critics have long accused the body of corruption and faulted it for its security cooperation with Israel, and the repeated postponements threaten to further undercut its credibility.
Palestinian officials pointed to conditions in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem as justification for the delay. The Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, which Abbas chairs, claimed Israel had blocked election materials and international observers from entering Gaza, according to The Associated Press.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected that explanation, accusing Abbas of trying to deflect blame.
Abbas’ “attempt to drag Israel into this, falsely claiming that Israel imposed obstacles to holding elections, is yet another ridiculous lie designed to evade responsibility and accountability,” Saar wrote on X.
Hamas, by contrast, welcomed the postponement, describing it as “a step in the right direction” and calling for further talks on rebuilding Palestinian institutions before any election takes place.
A Legacy of the 2006 Vote
Palestinians last held legislative elections in 2006, when Hamas won a majority of seats. Israel and Western governments boycotted the Hamas-led government that followed, contributing to unrest that culminated in Hamas seizing control of Gaza in 2007. Hamas has governed Gaza ever since, while Abbas’ Fatah-dominated authority has run parts of the West Bank.
The now-postponed election had also raised the prospect of a serious political challenge to Abbas. Before the delay was announced, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and a faction led by Mohammed Dahlan — a former Fatah security chief who broke with Abbas — had been discussing an unusual political alliance.
“Abbas is terrified by the electoral alliance bringing our faction together with opposition factions and forces within Fatah that reject his leadership,” Dimitri Dilliani, a spokesperson for Dahlan’s faction, said in a statement.
The delay comes as the Palestinian Authority’s future role in Gaza remains unsettled under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan reached last year. That plan envisions the authority eventually taking on responsibilities in Gaza, but its immediate role has not been defined. Hamas continues to govern the territory, while a committee of Palestinian technocrats waits in Cairo for permission to enter Gaza and oversee a transition of power.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login