Mahmoud Abbas, the 90-year-old Palestinian Authority president elected in 2005, continues to rule by decree after repeatedly postponing elections. In October 2026 he delayed planned legislative voting from November until September 2027 while setting presidential elections for the same date, citing security conditions and Israeli restrictions. An August 2026 poll showed 79 percent of Palestinians favoring his resignation amid Fatah internal rifts and rival factions exploring unified lists. A 2025 constitutional declaration positions Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh as interim successor for up to 90 days if a vacancy arises, though the mechanism faces legal disputes. These factors, combined with Abbas’s history of delaying votes and ongoing factional negotiations in Egypt, shape trader assessments of near-term leadership change.