Fattouh: Preparations Begin for Completing the Election of National Council Members in the Diaspora

SadaNews - The President of the Palestinian National Council, Rouhi Fattouh, confirmed that a circular has been issued in the name of the Follow-up Committee for the National Council Elections through the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the embassies of the State of Palestine abroad to begin the required preparations and arrangements in accordance with the electoral system for the Palestinian National Council, prior to the arrival of the delegations assigned to the relevant countries to complete the process of selecting members for the National Council in the diaspora.

The committee approved in its last meeting chaired by Hussein Sheikh, Vice President and Head of the Follow-up Committee for the National Council Elections to directly initiate the selection of National Council members in the diaspora.

Fattouh clarified that the process of selecting National Council members abroad will occur through several pathways, starting with conducting direct elections for Palestinian communities in countries where this is permissible. The embassies will prepare a voter registry within a week, followed by the opening of the candidacy period, with elections to be held two weeks after the end of the candidacy phase.

He indicated that if direct elections cannot be conducted, the electoral college system will be utilized in accordance with the provisions of the electoral system for the Palestinian National Council, where the electoral college will be formed, and elections will take place in the following week after its formation.

Fattouh added that if elections or the formation of the electoral college is not feasible, a consensus will be sought according to the accepted system for the National Council elections.

Fattouh affirmed that communication has been established with the embassies and local committees in those countries that were formed by the Committee of Expatriates and Refugees in the Follow-up Committee for the National Council Elections, stating that work is ongoing to complete the membership of the Palestinian National Council abroad, expressing hope to finish this process by next August.