Government ministers were sworn in by Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, at a ceremony held simultaneously in Gaza and Ramallah.

[15][16] Hamas had long expressed interest in taking control of the West Bank and strengthening its foothold in the area[17][18] and stated its intent to use the elections as a means to undermine the stability of the Palestinian Authority.

[23] In reconciliation talks held in March 2009 in Cairo, Egypt, Hamas and Fatah agreed to hold the elections by 25 January 2010.

[25] The West Bank Palestinian government decided to postpone the elections, arguing that it wanted to safeguard "national unity".

[27] After being postponed several times, the local government elections took place in October and November 2012 and covered only the West Bank.

Presidential and parliamentary election to the Palestinian Authority were postponed several times because of intra-Palestinian political disputes between Fatah and Hamas[28] from the original date of 17 July 2010.

His aide Yasser Abed Rabbo said: "The Palestinian leadership decided to hold presidential and legislative elections within September.

[34] On 20 December 2013, Hamas called on the Palestinian Authority to form a six-month national unity government that would finally hold the long-delayed general election.

Mahmoud Abbas announced on 26 September 2019 in a speech at the UN General Assembly that he intended to set a date for elections once he returned to the West Bank.

[44] On 10 December 2019, the Palestinian Authority asked Israel to allow East Jerusalem residents to vote in the planned elections, a request that Israeli officials said would now go to the security cabinet.

[47] The EU requested permission from Israel to observe the elections in Jerusalem but according to a European Commission spokesperson on 19 April 2021, "Despite continuous contact with the Israeli authorities, over the past seven weeks, a reply granting access has yet to be received.

"[56] EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said "The decision to postpone the planned Palestinian elections, including the legislative elections originally scheduled for 22 May, is deeply disappointing," that "We strongly encourage all Palestinian actors to resume efforts to build on the successful talks between the factions over recent months.

and "We reiterate our call on Israel to facilitate the holding of such elections across all of the Palestinian territory, including in East Jerusalem.

This will also set the path toward meaningful negotiations to end the occupation and realize a two-state solution based on UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements.

Setting a new and timely date for elections would be an important step in reassuring the Palestinian people that their voices will be heard.

Hamas, Fatah and other groups agreed on 9 February on the "mechanisms" for the elections, which includes an electoral court and commitments to open voting.

CEC Chairman Hanna Nasir said in January 2021 that "about two million Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip are eligible to vote.