Palestinian Authority president postpones legislative elections another year, marking 20 years without a vote

October 10, 2026 / 10:08 AM EDT / AP

President Mahmoud Abbas postponed what would have been the first Palestinian elections in nearly 20 years, issuing a decree on Friday to further delay voting for the Palestinian Legislative Council almost another year.

Rather than take place as scheduled next month, the decree pushes the elections back to Sept. 11, 2027, according to WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency. Presidential elections, which have not taken place for more than two decades, are scheduled for the same day.

The postponement leaves entrenched Palestinian leaders unchallenged and threatens to further erode the Palestinian Authority's credibility among ordinary Palestinians and donor countries who fund it.

The internationally backed body is dominated by Abbas' party, Fatah, and has administered semiautonomous parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank since agreements reached in the 1990s. It has grown increasingly unpopular throughout Abbas' presidency. Many Palestinians view it as corrupt and criticize its security cooperation with Israel.

The decree came after a committee of top Palestinian officials met Saturday morning to discuss postponing the vote. The Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, which Abbas heads, said in a statement that conditions in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/