The Palestinian Authority will hold presidential elections in 2027, the PA's official WAFA agency reported on Sunday.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced the elections, adding that he is expected to issue a decree calling for elections to the PA's legislative council, which would be scheduled for November 2026.
The elections were announced along with a new decree-law aimed at enhancing political participation and broadening democratic representation in the PA, according to WAFA.
Abbas's decree aims to increase female, youth participation in democracy
The decree included a measure to increase representation of women in elected positions, requiring at least one woman to be included among every three candidates running for a legislative seat.
The number of legislative seats was increased to 200, and the minimum number of candidates required on each electoral list was raised to 20 from the previous 16.
Abbas’s decree also lowered the minimum age for candidacy to 23 in an effort to enable “wider youth participation in the democratic process,” WAFA reported.
According to WAFA, Abbas had previously issued a decree calling on all Palestinians in and outside of the West Bank to participate in elections and contribute to enhancing participation in the PA’s democratic process.
First PA local elections since October 7 massacre held in April
In April, elections for the PA’s local council were held in the West Bank and Gaza for the first time since Hamas’s October 7 massacre in 2023.
The local elections were held in accordance with a previous decree issued in 2025 that established separate electoral systems for municipal councils and village councils.