Abbas Sets November 2026 Vote and Expands Parliament in Latest Palestinian Election Decree

On June 14, 2026, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas moved to fulfill a year-old promise to international leaders by issuing a decree-law that overhauls the electoral system and sets a timeline for the first national polls in nearly two decades. The announcement establishes November 1, 2026, for legislative and Palestinian National Council (PNC) elections, with a presidential vote to follow in early 2027 . The reforms significantly alter the political landscape, but the shadow of past cancellations and on-the-ground obstacles leaves the process shrouded in uncertainty.

What the June 2026 Decree Changes

The decree-law amends the General Elections Law of 2007 and introduces several structural changes designed to broaden political participation . The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported the full slate of reforms:

• Legislative Council seats: The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) will expand from 132 to 200 seats .
• Electoral threshold: The minimum vote share required to win a seat drops sharply to 1% .
• Electoral lists: The minimum number of candidates on an electoral list rises from 16 to 20 .
• Age of candidacy: The minimum age to run for the PLC is lowered from 28 to 23 years old .
• Women's representation: Lists must include at least one woman for every three candidates, effectively mandating a minimum of roughly 33% representation . Some other sources reported this as a 25% quota, but WAFA's text specifies the higher one-in-three requirement .
• Political commitment: All candidates must commit to the Palestine Liberation Organization's principles, a requirement also applied in prior local election laws .

The Election Timeline

Abbas's announcement establishes a two-phase electoral process:

1. Legislative (PLC) and PNC elections: Set for November 1, 2026. These are to be held concurrently, with those elected to the PLC automatically becoming homeland representatives in the PNC . An earlier presidential decree from February 2, 2026, had already called for Palestinians in the homeland and diaspora to participate in this vote, which will be conducted by full proportional representation .
2. Presidential elections: Promised for "early 2027," but no exact date or formal presidential decree has been issued to trigger the vote .

Two Decades of Postponed Elections

The announcement comes against a backdrop of profound democratic stagnation.

The last legislative election was held in 2006, a vote won by Hamas that led to a political schism and an inactive PLC since 2007 . The last presidential election took place in 2005, when Abbas won with an estimated 65% of the vote. His four-year term expired in 2009, but he has continued to govern by decree ever since .

In 2021, Abbas set dates for legislative and presidential elections but postponed them indefinitely, citing the lack of Israeli guarantees for Palestinian voting in East Jerusalem . More recently, on June 9, 2025, Abbas wrote to French President Emmanuel Macron and other international figures, committing to hold presidential and legislative elections within one year . The June 2026 decree is a formal step toward fulfilling that pledge.

The calendar has seen some movement at the local level: municipal elections were held on April 25, 2026, in the West Bank and parts of Gaza .

Why Deep Skepticism Persists

Despite the detailed decree, analysts, critics, and the Palestinian public remain highly doubtful that the elections will proceed as announced.

Critics point to a critical gap: no binding presidential decree has been issued for the 2027 vote. Fatah leader Samer Sinijlawi underlined this, stating, "No election date has been provided, no presidential decree has been issued, and no timetable has been presented" .

The feasibility of holding a free and fair vote in Gaza, which remains largely devastated and under Hamas control, is another major unanswered question .

Public confidence is extraordinarily low. A 2025 poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that 80% of Palestinians want the 90-year-old Abbas to resign, and 60% doubted a presidential election would actually be held as promised . This skepticism is rooted in a long pattern: Abbas has announced elections several times before—in 2010, 2012, and 2021—and each time they were postponed or cancelled, leading many to view the latest move as a tactic to maintain international legitimacy rather than a firm commitment to a democratic transition .