Ammon News - President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday issued a decree calling for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections to be held on September 11, 2027, and repealing a previous decree scheduling legislative elections for November 28, 2026.

The new decree calls on Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to participate in free and direct elections to elect the President of the State of Palestine and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council simultaneously, in accordance with the law.

The decree follows a decision by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and consultations with Palestinian factions and political forces, which resulted in a national consensus on obstacles posed by Israeli measures to holding elections on the previously scheduled date and the need to establish suitable political, security and field conditions for free, fair and inclusive elections.

It also aims to provide an opportunity for comprehensive national dialogue to strengthen Palestinian unity, preserve the unity of the territory and political system, address challenges facing the electoral process, and ensure the participation of Palestinians across Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza while safeguarding their political and constitutional rights.

The decision to postpone the legislative elections and set a new date for simultaneous presidential and legislative polls comes amid continued Israeli military attacks, settlement expansion, colonist violence and repeated Israeli incursions across the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Restrictions on freedom of movement and Israel's continued withholding of Palestinian clearance revenues have also created security, economic and administrative challenges for preparing and conducting elections, according to the decree.

Regarding Gaza, the decree comes at a time of exceptional security and humanitarian conditions, the failure to implement arrangements for deploying international stabilization forces and police forces in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803, the lack of progress in reconstruction, and the incomplete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip.

These circumstances, the decree states, create security, logistical and on-the-ground obstacles to establishing the conditions necessary for elections.

The decree also points to Israeli restrictions on access for Central Elections Commission staff and international observers to Gaza and East Jerusalem, complicating preparations and procedures and limiting the ability of the relevant bodies to oversee and monitor the electoral process in accordance with legal and democratic standards.

Taken together, these conditions affect the possibility of holding free, fair and inclusive elections on the previous date while ensuring public safety and the ability of Palestinians to exercise their electoral rights freely and securely throughout the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

The decree reaffirms the commitment to holding elections as a national and constitutional obligation and as an expression of the Palestinian people's right to choose their representatives democratically, renew the democratic legitimacy of Palestinian institutions and strengthen the unity of the political system.

Under the decree, the Central Elections Commission will take the necessary measures to prepare for, organize and supervise the presidential and legislative elections in accordance with the applicable General Elections Law, ensuring that the polls are free, fair, transparent and inclusive throughout the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.


WAFA