Legislative elections will be held in Palestine on 28 November 2026 in order to elect the 3rd Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Most recently, they were scheduled for 22 May 2021 according to a decree by President Mahmoud Abbas on 15 January 2021 but were indefinitely postponed on 29 April 2021.

Background

Mahmoud Abbas was elected President of the Palestinian National Authority in January 2005 for a four-year term that ended in January 2009. The last elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) were held on 25 January 2006. Elections since these dates have only been for local offices.

In February 2007, Saudi-sponsored negotiations led to the Hamas & Fatah Mecca Agreement signed by Abbas on behalf of Fatah and Khaled Mashal on behalf of Hamas to form a unity government. In March, the PLC established a national unity government, with 83 representatives voting in favour and three against. Government ministers were sworn in by Abbas, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, at a ceremony held simultaneously in Gaza and Ramallah.

However, in June, renewed fighting broke out between Hamas and Fatah. In the course of the 2007 Battle of Gaza, Hamas exploited the near total collapse of Palestinian Authority forces in Gaza and seized control of the territory, ousting Fatah officials. Abbas then dismissed the Hamas-led PA government and outlawed the Hamas militia.

In September, Fatah unilaterally changed the electoral laws of 2005 from the PLC being electing half of its seats proportionally and the other half by first past the post to complete proportional representation. Abbas he could issue the change by decree as long as the PLC was unable to convene. Hamas, which had a majority on the PLC, declared the move illegal.

By 2010, the security and economic situation of the residents of Gaza had deteriorated dramatically. With financial backing from Iran,Mohsen Saleh, The Palestinian Strategic Report 2006, Al Manhal, 2007 p. 198.Jodi Vittori, Terrorist Financing and Resourcing, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011 pp. 72–74, 193 notes 50, 51. Hamas launched thousands of rockets at Israel. It expressed interest in taking control of the West Bank and stated its intent to use the elections as a means to weaken President Abbas.

Abbas issued a decree stating that at least one in three people on an electoral list must be a woman, that candidates as young as 23 could now run for office, and for the number of seats in the PLC to increase to 200. The electoral threshold was also lowered to 1%.

Attempts to resolve election issue In February 2010, local government elections were called in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for July 2010. The PA decided to postpone the elections, claiming it wanted to safeguard "national unity". In December 2010, the Palestinian High Court of Justice ruled that once the cabinet called elections, it did not have authority to cancel them. In the end, local elections were held in October and November 2012 and covered only the West Bank.

In February 2011, following the resignation of Saeb Erekat as chief negotiator with Israel for the Israeli–Palestinian peace process after the release of the Palestine Papers, which were harshly critical of the PLO's concessions, the PLO Executive Committee announced intentions to hold elections before October.

Hamas responded that "Hamas will not take part in this election. . . . we will not recognize the results." In October 2011, Abbas sent a proposal to Hamas for another general election, preferably to be held in early 2012. It was suggested that Hamas would be more willing to participate in another election following the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, which boosted Hamas' standing in Gaza. Nonetheless, the election was not held.

In December 2013, Hamas called on the Palestinian Authority to form a six-month national unity government that would finally hold the long-delayed general election. Following the upgrade of the UN status of Palestine to non-member observer state, it was proposed that general state elections would follow in 2013, in line with unity talks of Fatah and Hamas. In April 2014, an agreement was reached to form a unity government, which occurred on 2 June 2014, and for the election to take place within 6 months. However, elections were again postponed.

In October 2017, Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation deal in which Hamas agreed to dissolve the unity government in Gaza and hold general elections by the end of 2018, but also did not come to pass. Mahmoud Abbas announced in a September 2019 in a speech at the UN General Assembly that he intended to set a date for elections once he returned to the West Bank. Hamas responded by indicating that it was ready to hold "comprehensive and general elections", but in November, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad rejected Abbas's terms for holding elections (which required candidates to recognize the agreements signed by the PLO to be able to run).

Suspension of 2021 planned elections In November 2019, Abbas said that there would be no new Palestinian elections unless they include East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, a position Hamas affirmed the same month. In September 2020, Fatah and Hamas agreed on elections between February and March 2021.

The EU requested permission from Israel to observe the elections in Jerusalem, but later reported that Israeli authorities did not agree. On 29 April 2021, ahead of a scheduled leadership meeting, Hamas rejected the idea of postponing elections and refused to attend the meeting amid speculation that Abbas would seek to delay or cancel them. However, on the same day, Abbas announced the indefinite postponement of elections, citing Israel's refusal to permit East Jerusalem residents to vote.

Reactions The leaders of the two alternative Fatah candidate lists, Marwan Barghouti and Mohammad Dahlan, stated that Abbas was most concerned about the possibility of defeat by the breakaway Fatah factions or by Hamas. Hamas called the step a "a coup against the path of national partnership and consensus," and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated that it was “deeply disappointing,” while reiterating its ask for Israel to permit East Jerusalem residents to vote.

A poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in June 2021 found that 69% of residents wanted to hold elections soon, even without Israeli approval in East Jerusalem.

Parties The window for candidate submissions opened on 26 September and will close on 7 October.

An alliance was formed between Hamas, Mohammed Dahlan and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in late September. Alliance negotiations previously included Nasser al-Qudwa and the Reformist Current within Fatah.

Campaign issues In August 2026, PCPSR conducted a poll ahead of the legislative elections showing the top priorities among the Palestinian population. The issues are unifying the West Bank and Gaza Strip (19%), stopping the killing in the Gaza Strip (18%), improving the economic situation (15%), rebuilding Gaza (11%), confronting settler terrorism (10%), and combating corruption (9%).

Opinion polls All voting respondents Fieldwork datesPolling firmFatahHamasPFLPPNIThird WayDFLPPPPUndecided/OtherLead5–8 August 2026PCPSR32291821322–25 October 2025PCPSR304410161410 October 2025Gaza peace plan goes into effect1–4 May 2025PCPSR2843819153–7 September 2024PCPSR27455221826 May – 1 June 2024PCPSR2546621215–10 March 2024PCPSR22479242522 November – 2 December 2023PCPSR1951426327 October 2023Start of Gaza war6–9 September 2023PCPSR343692127–11 June 2023PCPSR3134112338–11 March 2023PCPSR353392227–10 December 2022PCPSR34341021Tie13–17 September 2022PCPSR34 32 12 22222–25 June 2022PCPSR35 36 7 20116–20 March 2022PCPSR42 36 8 1468–11 December 2021PCPSR35 38 9 183October 2021JMCC 34.3 10.2 1 0.4 0.3 0.453.424.115–18 September 2021PCPSR32 3713 1859–12 June 2021PCPSR304112171122 May 2021Election scheduled for 22 May 2021, indefinitely postponed on 29 April 202114–19 March 2021PCPSR43308 18138–11 December 2020PCPSR3834101949–12 September 2020PCPSR3834820417–20 June 2020PCPSR363482325–8 February 2020PCPSR38321218611–14 December 2019PCPSR40321020811–14 September 2019PCPSR38291123927–30 June 2019PCPSR39301021913–16 March 2019PCPSR3932818712–16 December 2018PCPSR3534102115–8 September 2018PCPSR36271028925 June – 1 July 2018PCPSR3932920714–17 March 2018PCPSR36319255

Decided voters only

Polling firmFieldwork DatesFatahHamasOtherLeadLinkPCPSR5–8 August 202641%37%23%4%PCPSR22–25 October 202536%52%12%16%10 October 2025Gaza peace plan goes into effectPCPSR26 May – 1 June 202432%60%8%28PCPSR5–10 March 202428%60%12%32PCPSR22 November – 2 December 202326%69%5%437 October 2023Start of Gaza warPCPSR6–9 September 202343%46%11%3PCPSR7–11 June 202341%45%14%4PCPSR8–11 March 202345%43%12%2PCPSR7–10 December 202244%44% 13%TiePCPSR13–17 September 202244% 41% 15%3PCPSR22–25 June 202245% 46% 9%1PCPSR16–20 March 202249% 42% 9%7PCPSR8–11 December 202143% 46% 11%3JMCCOctober 2021 74% 22% 5%52PCPSR15–18 September 202139% 45% 16%6PCPSR9–12 June 202136%49%14%1329 April 2021Elections indefinitely postponedPCPSR14–19 March 202153%37% 10%16PCPSR8–11 December 202046%41%12%5PCPSR9–12 September 202048%43%10%5PCPSR17–20 June 202046%44%10%3PCPSR5–8 February 202046%39%15%7PCPSR11–14 December 201949%39%12%10PCPSR11–14 September 201949%37%14%12PCPSR27–30 June 201949%38%13%11PCPSR13–16 March 201949%41%10%9PCPSR12–16 December 201844%43%13%1PCPSR5–8 September 201849%37%14%12PCPSR25 June –1 July 201849%40%11%9PCPSR14–17 March 201847%41%12%7

See also 2027 Palestinian presidential election

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