Canada and allies ‘deeply regret’ Abbas’s delay of Palestinian elections until September 2027

OTTAWA — Canada joined Australia, France and the United Kingdom on Tuesday in saying they “deeply regret” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to postpone legislative and presidential elections to September 2027, after votes had been expected next month, according to a Global Affairs Canada joint statement.

“Nearly two decades have passed since the last Palestinian Legislative Council elections and five years since the planned 2021 elections were postponed,” the ministers said. “An entire generation of Palestinians has reached adulthood without the opportunity to choose their elected representatives.” They called on the Palestinian Authority to reconsider and hold elections “without further delay.”

The statement acknowledged “significant challenges and impediments” to conducting elections to international standards with full participation, and praised the Central Elections Commission’s preparatory work. It also called on Israel to refrain from actions that could impede elections, and repeated that Hamas “can have no role in the future governance of Palestine.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government recognized a Palestinian state in 2025 alongside several other countries, with recognition predicated on reforms that included elections in 2026 in which Hamas would play no part, The Canadian Press reported. The PLO executive committee said over the weekend that conditions in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza are not conducive to voting and that Israel has not allowed election materials and international observers into Gaza — a claim Israel’s foreign minister dismissed.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Canada “should not be giving aid to a government that’s breaking its promise” to hold elections, speaking in Windsor, Ont., Canadian Press reported. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said the allies imply the Authority has broken a recognition commitment yet offer “no indication of what consequences” would follow. Carney’s office and Global Affairs did not immediately say what the delay means for recognition.

Abbas has been president since 2005. The last Palestinian legislative election was in 2006; Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007 while the Palestinian Authority governs in the West Bank. A Gaza ceasefire has been in effect for about a year, but aid access and violence remain serious concerns, Canadian Press noted.

Sources: Global Affairs Canada joint statement (Oct. 13, 2026); Canadian Press via CityNews (Oct. 13, 2026); UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Oct. 13, 2026).