Mahmoud Abbas, the 90-year-old Palestinian Authority president, continues to hold office amid ongoing discussions of succession and delayed elections. In early October 2026, his deputy Hussein al-Sheikh informed France that legislative elections scheduled for November 28 would be postponed several months due to deteriorating security, political, and economic conditions in the West Bank and Gaza. Abbas had previously decreed legislative voting for late 2026 and presidential elections for 2027, while elevating al-Sheikh to vice president and PLO deputy chairman roles that position him as a potential interim successor. Internal Fatah divisions, alliances involving rivals such as Mohammed Dahlan and Hamas factions, and external factors including Israeli restrictions on voting access have complicated reform efforts. These dynamics, combined with Abbas’s long tenure without recent presidential elections, shape trader assessments of transition timelines.