Mahmoud Abbas, who has led the Palestinian Authority since 2005, remains in office at an advanced age amid ongoing succession planning. In 2025 he created a vice-presidential post and named Hussein al-Sheikh interim successor via constitutional declaration. A July 2026 decree set the first legislative elections in over two decades for November 28, 2026, covering the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. These steps, alongside Fatah internal dynamics and the absence of recent health announcements or resignation signals, shape trader focus on whether Abbas steps down before or after the vote. Structural factors such as the lack of term limits enforcement and potential delays in electoral processes continue to influence assessments of transition timing.