Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh announced that presidential and legislative elections would be moved to an earlier date and held simultaneously once conditions ensuring fair, transparent and credible elections were established.
The announcement came after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decision on Saturday providing for both elections to be held on September 11, 2027.
Abbas’s decision changed the previously scheduled date of November 28, 2026, for the legislative elections. Al-Sheikh pledged that the two elections would be brought forward together and held simultaneously once the necessary conditions were in place.
Call for elections in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza
Al-Sheikh said they were committed to the provisions of the Palestinian Basic Law concerning general elections, stressing the importance of pluralism, the peaceful transfer of power, and the renewal of leadership and legitimacy through the ballot box.
Al-Sheikh said elections should not be treated as merely a formal exercise, adding that the ballot box must reflect the will of the people with at least a minimum degree of dignity and independence.
Al-Sheikh called on the international community to pressure Israel to create conditions allowing elections to be held in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Calling for an end to what he described as repressive practices by the Israeli army and Israeli settlers, Al-Sheikh also demanded the removal of more than 1,000 checkpoints that he said had divided the West Bank into disconnected areas. Al-Sheikh further called for an end to crimes committed by Israel in Gaza and the return of Palestinian funds that he said Israel had withheld.
Palestinian national dialogue
In another statement, Al-Sheikh reiterated his commitment to an inclusive Palestinian national dialogue involving all factions and political forces.
Al-Sheikh said the dialogue would strengthen national unity and the Palestinians’ resilience on their land, adding that it would help build consensus on the conditions needed to hold elections in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
History of the election timetable
On July 9, Abbas issued a decision providing for legislative elections to be held on November 28. Under the previous timetable, the Central Elections Commission began accepting applications to register electoral lists on September 26 and received applications from eight lists during the first four days. The registration process was scheduled to continue until October 13.
The last legislative elections in Palestine were held in 2006, when Hamas won a majority of the seats. Clashes between Hamas and Fatah culminated in Hamas taking control of Gaza in 2007, while the Palestinian Authority, led by Fatah, continued to operate in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Legislative Council became defunct in 2007. In 2018, the Palestinian High Constitutional Court ruled that the council should be dissolved.
