Canada Urges Palestinian President to Hold Elections, Which Was Condition for Recognizing Statehood

Canada has joined three Western allies in expressing disappointment regarding the Palestinian president’s move to postpone elections for nearly a year, and is calling on him to reconsider his decision.

Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal recognized Palestinian statehood in September 2025, saying the move was intended to revive hopes for peace between Palestinians and Israelis and advance a two-state solution. The United States and Israel condemned the recognition.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said at the time that recognition was based on President Mahmoud Abbas’ commitment to change, including holding general elections in 2026 that excluded Hamas from governance, and demilitarizing the Palestinian state.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand released a joint statement on Oct. 13 with her counterparts from Australia, France, and the United Kingdom, saying they “deeply” regretted Abbas’ decision to postpone legislative and presidential elections until September 2027.

The foreign ministers said credible elections are essential to democratic reform, accountable governance, and a viable two-state solution. They also acknowledged obstacles to holding elections and urged Israel to refrain from actions that could prevent Palestinians from participating. They reiterated that Hamas must have no role in Palestine’s future governance.

“An entire generation of Palestinians has reached adulthood without the opportunity to choose their elected representatives,” the ministers wrote, noting that nearly two decades had passed since the last legislative elections and that planned elections in 2021 were postponed.

The ministers called on Abbas and the Palestinian Authority to reconsider the postponement and take the necessary steps to hold elections “without further delay.”

Abbas defended the postponement in an Oct. 10 decree, saying Israeli military operations, settlement expansion, movement restrictions, and deteriorating conditions in Gaza and the West Bank made it difficult to hold free and fair elections.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party has opposed Ottawa recognizing Palestinian statehood, also criticized the government’s continued aid to the Palestinian authority.

“I don’t know why we would be sending Canadian tax dollars from people who can’t afford to pay their bills to a dictatorial terrorist regime like that,” Poilievre said during an Oct. 13 press conference. “Especially now that they broke the central promise that our prime minister claimed was a condition for his support of them.”

Israel criticized the countries’ recognition of Palestinian statehood in 2025, saying it amounted to giving a “prize to Hamas,” and rejected the prospect of Palestinian statehood.

“A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The United States also criticized its allies for recognizing Palestinian statehood. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the move a “reckless decision” that “only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace.”

Carney said at the time that while he condemns Hamas, his government is recognizing Palestinian statehood because the “current Israeli government is working methodically to prevent the prospect of a Palestinian state from ever being established.”

“It is in this context that Canada recognizes the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel,” he said.