A Palestinian official says at the conclusion of three days of reconciliation talks between rival factions Hamas and Fatah in Turkey that elections should be held within six months.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Jibril Rajoub, who headed the Fatah delegation in Turkey, said on Palestine TV that after holding an "intensive strategic dialogue," the parties have come up with "a clear vision of the mechanisms for building national partnership through holding elections".
He said these would start with the Legislative Council elections, then presidential elections and finally the Palestinian Liberation Organisation's National Council elections.
He said this should be done within six months.
The last presidential elections were held in 2005.
Legislative elections were held in 2006 when Hamas defeated Fatah and gained a majority of seats.
In June 2007, Palestinian division ultimately began when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority ruled in the West Bank.
The new elections are expected to reunite the two parts of the Palestinian Territories.
Mahmoud Abbas, 84, has served as president since 2005.
A president's term is supposed to last four years.
A well-informed Palestinian source, however, said some differences remained over the mechanism for holding the elections and how to control the situation in the Palestinian Territories, including the jurisdiction of the Hamas-run courts in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that the meetings with Fatah "constitute a new starting point for the embodiment of a Palestinian form based on unity and partnership".
Australian Associated Press