Mahmoud Abbas, the 90-year-old president of the Palestinian Authority since 2005, continues to consolidate power through Fatah, the dominant party in the West Bank. At the movement’s first central committee conference in a decade, held in mid-May 2026, Abbas was unanimously re-elected as leader and pledged to advance reforms while holding long-delayed presidential and legislative elections, though he provided no timeline. Earlier moves, including a 2025 constitutional decree naming deputy Hussein al-Sheikh as interim successor in the event of a vacancy, alongside reported efforts to position his son Yasser for a senior Fatah role, have shaped internal dynamics. These developments reflect ongoing institutional stagnation and pressure for succession or electoral renewal amid the absence of recent voting.