Mahmoud Abbas Announces Elections for PLO Parliament

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced elections for November 1, 2026, to elect members of the Palestinian National Council, the parliament of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). This will be the first time that council members are elected by direct, universal suffrage.

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Abbas issued a decree stating that the elections will be held wherever possible, both inside and outside Palestine, to ensure the greatest possible participation of the Palestinian people.

Until now, members of the Palestinian National Council had never been elected, but were appointed or indirectly elected. The council is dominated by Fatah, the movement of Mahmoud Abbas, which he founded with Yasser Arafat. The Islamist movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not members of the PLO and are not represented on the council.