Mahmoud Abbas, the 90-year-old Palestinian Authority president and Fatah leader, continues to exercise authority through decree while advancing a national reform program that includes scheduled legislative elections on November 28, 2026, followed by National Council and presidential votes. Recent developments center on Fatah's internal succession dynamics, including his 2025 appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as PLO deputy and efforts to elevate his son Yasser within the party's Central Committee, amid competing figures and calls for broader unity with other factions. U.S. visa denials have forced Abbas to address the UN General Assembly via video for a second consecutive year, reflecting ongoing diplomatic frictions, while the PA grapples with financial constraints, settlement expansion, and post-conflict reconstruction pressures in Gaza. These factors shape trader assessments of transition timelines tied to electoral processes or leadership health developments.