Ramallah [Palestine], October 11: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed parliamentary elections scheduled for late November until September 11, 2027.
Palestinians are now set to elect both a new parliament and president on that date, in what would be their first national elections in more than two decades.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported the decision on Saturday, citing a decree issued by Abbas.
The reasons cited for the cancellation of the elections in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip included military restrictions by Israel, the expansion of Jewish settlements, attacks by armed settlers and a lack of freedom of movement.
Regarding Gaza, the Palestinian leadership also pointed to the precarious security situation and the pending deployment of international protection forces.
Hamas won last election The Palestinians were originally scheduled to elect a parliament on November 28 for the first time in over 20 years. In the last election on January 25, 2006, the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement won a majority of 74 out of 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council.
A year later, following clashes with Abbas' rival Fatah faction, Hamas took sole control of the Gaza Strip, after which the parliament was largely incapacitated. In late 2018, the Palestinian Constitutional Court ordered its dissolution.
Source: Qatar Tribune
