Khaberni - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on Monday, called on Palestinians at home and in the diaspora to elect the Palestinian National Council wherever possible.
The elections are scheduled to take place at the beginning of November 2026.
A presidential decree stated that "the Palestinian people at home and in the diaspora, are invited to free and direct general elections by secret ballot to elect the Palestinian National Council on November 1, 2026."
It added: "The elections will take place wherever possible, both within the State of Palestine and outside, and by means that ensure the widest possible participation of Palestinians wherever they are, in a manner that does not conflict with the laws in force in the host countries."
It continued: "The elections will be conducted according to the system of full proportional representation (i.e., lists), ensuring fair representation of all components of the Palestinian people."
It was mentioned that the election commission will fully oversee the electoral process in accordance with the new National Council election system."
It was stated: "The election commission will issue the executive instructions and a detailed timetable for the electoral process, including registration, candidacy, campaigning, voting, counting, and announcing the results."
According to the Palestinian statistics, the number of Palestinians is 14.8 million, of whom 5.61 million live in the Palestinian State and 7.8 million are in the diaspora.
This is the first time that all Palestinians are being called to participate in elections for the Palestinian National Council.
While arrangements can be made for elections for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it is unclear how the elections will be conducted in the diaspora.
The decree did not clarify how representatives will be chosen in the council in countries where elections cannot be held.
Abbas had anticipated the elections by requiring candidates to commit to the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and to the obligations of the organization including the two-state solution.
This commitment precludes participation by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the elections.
The Palestinian president did not mention whether these elections are an alternative to the elections for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council.
The last presidential elections were held in 2005, while the last elections for the Legislative Council took place in 2006.
In 2021, the Palestinian president canceled the legislative elections, justifying this by Israel's refusal to allow elections in East Jerusalem.
The decree does not include any indication of the possibility of canceling the National Council elections if they are not conducted in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian National Council elects the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the President of the State of Palestine.
The General Conference of the "Fatah" movement
The Palestinian president also issued a decree setting the date for the eighth general conference of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement "Fatah" in the city of Ramallah on May 14, next year.
The seventh general conference of the "Fatah" movement was held in November 2016 and since then no elections have occurred.
The general conference of the "Fatah" movement elects the Central Committee of the "Fatah" movement and the Revolutionary Council of the movement.
The Palestinian cabinet had previously issued a decision setting the date for the elections of local bodies in Palestine on April 25, next year.
The elections will be conducted in the West Bank and Deir al-Balah in Gaza, due to the impossibility of conducting elections in Gaza following the war.
