Abbas Postpones Palestinian Legislative Elections to 2027
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has delayed legislative elections for another year, drawing criticism from Israel's foreign minister as Palestinians were due to vote next month.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed legislative elections until September 2027, according to reports, cancelling a vote that had been expected next month to revive a dissolved parliament.
A vote pushed back a year
Palestinians had been due to go to the polls next month to choose a new legislature, replacing a parliament that was dissolved. That vote will not now take place.
Under the reported decision, the elections are moved to September 2027, extending a wait that has already lasted years. No new date within that month has been given in the reports.
Israeli criticism
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused Abbas of "fooling the international community by canceling once again promised elections", a remark reported as rumours of the postponement circulated before it was confirmed.
The accusation reflects long-standing Israeli criticism of the Palestinian leadership over elections that have repeatedly been announced and then delayed. Abbas's office has not been quoted responding to Sa'ar's comment in the reports available.
Why it matters for Europe
The Palestinian territories are a longstanding priority for European diplomacy, and the EU has consistently backed Palestinian state-building and the holding of elections. A further delay removes, for now, a step that European governments have pointed to as part of reviving Palestinian political institutions.
The postponement also lands amid wider international debate over the future of Palestinian governance, in which European states have sought a role. With the vote pushed to 2027, European capitals have little prospect of an electoral milestone in the near term.
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Alvara Merrick
Contributing writer at EUReflect.
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