The foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom on Tuesday expressed deep “regret” over the Palestinian President's decision to postpone the Palestinian Legislative Council elections and the Presidential elections to September 2027. “Nearly two decades have passed since the last Palestinian Legislative Council elections and five years since the planned 2021 elections were postponed,” the ministers said in a joint statement. “An entire generation of Palestinians has reached adulthood without the opportunity to choose their elected representatives,” they said, adding that this delay will be deeply disappointing and once again deprive Palestinians of the opportunity to vote and will further erode public confidence in democratic institutions. “We acknowledge that significant challenges and impediments have affected the ability to conduct elections in a manner fully consistent with international standards and with the participation of all eligible Palestinians,” the ministers said. They commended the important work of the Central Elections Commission in advancing practical preparations to address these challenges and facilitate voter participation. The votes were set to happen next month. On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree calling for simultaneous presidential and legislative elections on Sept. 11, 2027, canceling a legislative vote scheduled for Nov. 28, 2026, after his Fatah movement and other Palestinian factions agreed to postpone it. The widely anticipated decision sets a new date for Palestinians to elect both their president and lawmakers amid concerns over Israeli restrictions and the security situation in Gaza and the West Bank. In their statement, the foreign ministers said credible elections are an important element of the commitment that Abbas and the Palestinian Authority made to reform, including democratic renewal and accountable governance, and are in line with the July 2025 New York Declaration. They also noted that strengthening Palestinian governance is essential to continue building the institutional foundations of a viable two-state solution, which is the only path to lasting peace and security for both Israel and Palestine. The ministers then called on the Palestinian Authority to reconsider the decision to postpone elections and to take the necessary steps to hold legislative and presidential elections, without further delay. “We will continue to support efforts to deliver on these elections. We reiterate our call on Israel to refrain from actions that could impede the conduct of elections, including the practical arrangements necessary for all Palestinians to participate,” they said. The four ministers also reiterated their longstanding position that Hamas can have no role in the future governance of Palestine.
