Palestine Authority schedules first elections in 20 years
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Thursday setting legislative elections for November 28, 2026, which, if they take place, would mark the first such vote in two decades.
Objective Facts
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Thursday setting legislative elections for November 28, 2026, which, if they take place, would mark the first such vote in two decades. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued the decree, calling for the election to be held in all of the Palestinian Territories. Abbas, 90, won the last Palestinian presidential election in 2005 with a mandate of four years, meaning his term should have expired in 2009. Palestinian government comes under mounting international pressure to demonstrate its legitimacy. However, significant logistical obstacles remain: Nearly two million Palestinians have been displaced since the war began, more than 90% of Gaza has been destroyed, and the war disrupted officials' ability to maintain Gaza's population registry, which would complicate efforts to compile voter rolls. Israel, which has yet to comment publicly on the announcement, would need to allow Palestinians to vote in occupied East Jerusalem. In 2021, Palestinian legislative and presidential elections were cancelled after Israel did not guarantee that voting could be held there.
Deep Dive
The Palestinian Authority's announcement of November 28 legislative elections represents a significant moment in Palestinian politics after 20 years without such a vote. The announcement follows mounting international pressure—particularly from France, Saudi Arabia, and the European Union—for Abbas to demonstrate democratic legitimacy. The announcement comes as international and domestic pressure has mounted for the PA to reaffirm its legitimacy, especially after the October 2025 U.S.-brokered cease-fire renewed discussions of a future Palestinian state. More than 80 per cent of UN member states now formally recognise Palestine, following decisions by Canada, the UK, France and Australia, increasing pressure on the Palestinian Authority to reform. The challenges to actually holding elections are substantial. Nearly two million Palestinians—around 90% of Gaza's pre-war population—have been displaced since Israel's war with Hamas began in October 2023, with many being displaced multiple times due to Israeli evacuation orders, according to the United Nations. More than 90% of the Gaza Strip has been destroyed, according to an estimate by Al Jazeera, making it difficult to find the infrastructure to hold a vote. The war also disrupted officials' ability to maintain Gaza's population registry, which would complicate efforts to compile voter rolls. Israel, which has yet to comment publicly on the announcement, would need to allow Palestinians to vote in occupied East Jerusalem. In 2021, Palestinian legislative and presidential elections were cancelled after Israel did not guarantee that voting could be held there. Analysts expressed skepticism that the vote would take place as planned. In 2021, Mahmoud Abbas, the authority's leader, scheduled and then canceled a similar election. Palestinian observers express qualified hope alongside skepticism. While many Palestinians are skeptical that these elections will actually occur, their scheduling reflects an effort by Abbas to reassert his personal relevance and to insert the multiple institutions that he leads into the deliberations surrounding the future of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, from which he has seemingly been marginalized. Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh reported: "People are holding back their enthusiasm. Even though holding elections, a change in leadership, is the overwhelming demand of Palestinians according to polls." A key issue is Hamas's potential exclusion: It is unclear whether Hamas or Hamas-linked parties will even be able to participate due to a new election law Abbas signed last month, which requires all candidates to accept the Palestine Liberation Organization's political program, which includes recognition of Israel and support for a two-state solution — both nonstarters for Hamas.
Regional Perspective
Ghassan Khatib, a political science professor at Birzeit University, said he believed Abbas was now serious about holding elections for both domestic and international reasons. 'There is a feeling among everyone that Palestinian legitimacy has eroded because of how long it has been since elections were held,' Khatib told AFP, describing a 'gap between the public and the leadership and a need to renew the blood at the top.' 'The absence of a legislative council for such a long time has caused significant damage to the political system,' he added. Khatib stated that the international community had a responsibility to 'pressure Israel to provide an appropriate environment, or at least to refrain from measures that would hinder these elections.' He argued that 'Israel seeks to rid itself of the Palestinian Authority, and since elections would restore strength and legitimacy to the Authority, this runs counter to what Israel is aiming for,' and expected Israel 'to obstruct the holding of these elections in various ways.' Khatib also added that he expected Israel 'to obstruct the holding of these elections in various ways.' Hamas boycotted the April 2026 local elections and did not officially participate due to restrictions imposed by the Palestinian Authority on all competing candidates, requiring them to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as well as agreements with Israel. Hamas did not 'lose' in an election whose architects established conditions for a competition involving only one major player. From this, it is clear that, according to Hamas, the elections do not reflect a national consensus and therefore lack national legitimacy.