Mahmoud Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections for another year in Ramallah

President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree in Ramallah delaying Palestinian Legislative Council voting by almost another year. The order leaves entrenched Palestinian leaders unchallenged and delays voting until next autumn.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported the decree pushes the elections back to Sept. 11, 2027. Presidential elections are scheduled for the same day, according to the agency.

The postponement threatens to erode the credibility of the Palestinian Authority. The body is dominated by the Fatah party, which Abbas leads.

The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization issued a statement following a meeting on Saturday morning. The committee said conditions in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip were not conducive to holding elections. Israel had not allowed election materials or international observers into Gaza, the statement said.

Islamic Jihad deputy secretary-general Mohammed al-Hindi said factions met in Cairo to discuss the delay. He told reporters earlier this week that officials expected the move.

Palestinians have not held a legislative election since 2006. Hamas won a majority of seats in that contest. Israel and Western countries boycotted the government. Months of unrest followed, leading to the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007.

Power has remained divided between the territories. Hamas controls Gaza, while the Palestinian Authority holds power in the West Bank. Settler attacks on Palestinians and Israeli army raids continue in cities under authority control.

A ceasefire plan reached last year outlined a future role for the authority. Its immediate role remained mostly undefined. Hamas has continued to govern in Gaza. Technocrats under the Board of Peace remain in Cairo waiting to enter the territory.

Leading factions had not registered official slates before the postponement. An alliance had emerged between Hamas, Islamic Jihad and a bloc led by former Fatah security chief Mohammed Dahlan.

Dahlan was driven from Gaza by Hamas. He was exiled in 2010 after a dispute with Abbas. Faction spokesperson Dimitri Dilliani criticized the delay in a written statement.

“Abbas is terrified by the electoral alliance bringing our faction together with opposition factions and forces within Fatah that reject his leadership,” Dilliani said.

The Palestinian Legislative Council acts as the elected parliament for Palestinians in the territories. Semiautonomous administrative duties in parts of the West Bank are handled through the authority in Ramallah.

Abbas has served as president since 2005. He has delayed several presidential and legislative elections during his tenure.