The factions issued a joint statement of agreement

The start of the registration process for the first Palestinian elections in 15 years

During the Palestinian factions' meetings in Cairo.

EPA

The head of the Palestinian Central Elections Committee, Hanna Nasser, announced yesterday the launch of the voter registration process to participate in the legislative and presidential elections, which will be held for the first time in 15 years, after a joint statement by the Palestinian factions following their meeting in Cairo, in which they confirmed agreement on steps aimed at ensuring the holding of elections. She pledged to respect her results.

In a speech broadcast on the official website of the Palestinian Election Commission, Nasser said that the voter registration process is one of the main stages of the official electoral process, which will extend until next Tuesday evening.

He added, "The number of registered so far has reached about 2.4 million citizens, who make up 85% of the number of citizens eligible to register, which is a high percentage."

Nasser said, "We have opened 80 voter information and registration centers in a number of schools."

He expected that the percentage of those registering their names would rise to 90% with the close of registration.

The Palestinian factions issued a statement yesterday evening, in which they said that they had agreed on steps aimed at ensuring that the Palestinian elections take place as planned for later this year, and pledged to respect their results.

The statement, in which the "Fatah" and "Hamas" movements and 12 other Palestinian factions participated, said that the participants pledged to "abide by the schedule" for the polls and "respect and accept" the results.

The joint statement stated that the factions agreed during the Cairo talks to form a "Election Cases Court", consisting of judges from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, to settle any legal dispute regarding the elections.

The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, issued a decree last month setting the date for the legislative elections on May 22 and the presidential elections on July 31.

• The Election Commission expects the registration rate to reach 90%.

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