France Regrets Abbas's Postponement of Elections and Urges Reconsideration

A spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today, Sunday, that Paris regrets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's decision to postpone the legislative and presidential elections, and urges him to reconsider the decision.

The French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement: "France calls on the Palestinian authorities to reverse their decision and organize parliamentary and presidential elections throughout Palestine as soon as possible."

Earlier, Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh informed France of the postponement of the legislative elections scheduled for November 28 by "several months," in a private letter, according to Reuters.

The letter, addressed to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and dated October 8, stated: "The assessment concluded that the expected political, security, and economic conditions, which formed the basis for setting the date of the legislative elections on November 28, 2026, have not been met."

The letter added that "holding elections under current conditions faces substantial obstacles affecting their inclusivity, freedom of participation, and the integrity of the electoral process."

Abbas announced yesterday, Saturday, the postponement of the legislative elections to September 11, 2027, after they were scheduled for next month, and called for presidential elections on the same date, blaming Israel and the security situation in the Palestinian territories for the decision to postpone.