Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and deputy to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, has informed France that elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council will be postponed by several months.
The elections had been scheduled for November 28 following a pledge Abbas made to French President Emmanuel Macron, which played a significant role in Macron's decision to recognize a Palestinian state. However, al-Sheikh said that “holding them under the current circumstances faces fundamental obstacles affecting their inclusiveness, freedom of participation and the integrity of the electoral process.”
Elections? Not anytime soon. Abbas and Macron
(Photo: Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
“The assessment concluded that the anticipated political, security and economic conditions, on which the scheduling of the legislative elections for 28 November 2026 was based, have not materialized,” according to the letter, which was addressed to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and dated Oct. 8.
Less than two weeks ago, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Mohammed Dahlan, a longtime rival of Abbas, agreed to form an alliance aimed at defeating the Palestinian Authority president. Palestinian media outlets report that the elections are expected to be postponed to a date yet to be determined in 2027.
The last Palestinian parliamentary elections were held in 2006, while the most recent presidential election took place in 2005. The presidential office in Ramallah justified the decision to hold elections in November, for the first time in two decades, saying that "the presidential decree is intended to strengthen the foundations of democracy and complete the electoral process that began in the State of Palestine."
The Palestinian presidency in Ramallah justified the decision to hold elections in November for the first time in two decades, saying the presidential decree was intended to “consolidate the foundations of democracy and complete the electoral process that began in the State of Palestine.”
Speaking alongside Macron, Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to reforms, including holding presidential and parliamentary elections after the war. “We are nearing completion of a draft of the provisional constitution of the state of Palestine and the laws on elections and political parties,” he said.