Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree scheduling legislative elections for November 28, marking the first parliamentary vote in nearly two decades if held as planned. The elections are part of broader political reforms sought by the international community. Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem are expected to participate under the decree.
According to the official Wafa news agency, the decree calls for free and direct elections to choose members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The last legislative elections took place in 2006, when Hamas defeated Abbas’s Fatah movement. Since 2007, the Palestinian parliament has remained inactive because of the political divide.
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Meanwhile, the international community has repeatedly urged the Palestinian Authority to implement democratic reforms. Donor countries have increasingly linked financial and diplomatic support to governance improvements and institutional reforms. The planned elections are widely viewed as an important step toward restoring political legitimacy.
In 2021, Abbas announced legislative and presidential elections but postponed them indefinitely. Palestinian officials said the delay resulted from the lack of guarantees that voting could take place in East Jerusalem, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Earlier this year, Palestinians elected municipal council leaders in parts of the occupied West Bank.
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Abbas, now 90, was elected president in 2005 for a four-year term but has remained in office without another presidential election. In June, he announced that presidential elections would be held in early 2027, although he did not say whether he would seek another term. The upcoming legislative vote will be closely watched for its impact on Palestinian politics.