RAMALLAH, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official announced on Saturday that 2 million Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem are eligible to vote in the coming elections.
All Palestinians over 18 years old in the Palestinian territories "should be able to vote freely or become candidates," Hana Nasser, chairman of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission, told a news briefing in Ramallah.
Nasser made the remarks a day after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued decrees to hold legislative elections on May 22 and presidential elections on July 31.
However, "there are no guarantees that Israel would give the Palestinians a permission to hold the elections in East Jerusalem, but we have our alternative plans to hold the elections in the city in case Israel refuses," he said.
Leaders of the Palestinian factions are scheduled to convene in Egypt's capital Cairo in the coming week to discuss the mechanism of holding the general elections in the Palestinian territories, Nasser added.
People "can start from now registering and updating their records for the elections," the Palestinian official said. Enditem