Civil Coalition for Elections Calls for a Specific Date for the Presidential Elections and an Inclusive National Dialogue

The Civil Coalition for Elections is following the issuance of the Presidential Decree setting Saturday, 28 November 2026, as the date for the Palestinian Legislative Council elections to be held in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
While the Coalition considers setting the date for the legislative elections a necessary step toward restoring democratic life and renewing Palestinian legitimacy, it stresses that elections are a fundamental right of all citizens, not a privilege granted by any authority or merely an administrative procedure. Their credibility and success require that they be conducted within a comprehensive national process based on political pluralism, equality, and the rule of law, ensuring the participation of all Palestinians without exclusion.
The Coalition reiterates all the positions and demands contained in its statement issued on 2 July 2026, foremost among them that the electoral process should form part of a comprehensive national path that restores the will of the people, contributes to ending the Palestinian political division and reunifying the Palestinian political system, and ensures that elections are held in all Palestinian governorates, including Jerusalem, as well as in the Gaza Strip.
In this context, the Coalition emphasizes the following:
First: The Coalition calls for the immediate launch of a broad and inclusive national dialogue involving all Palestinian political forces and factions, alongside civil society organizations, women's and youth organizations, trade unions, and professional and popular associations. The objective is to reach consensus on the political, legal, and societal guarantees necessary to ensure comprehensive, free, and fair elections in which everyone can participate.
Second: The Coalition calls for the issuance of a presidential decree that explicitly and unequivocally sets the date for the presidential elections, rather than merely indicating that they will be held during the first quarter of 2027. Establishing a clear date for the presidential elections is a fundamental guarantee for completing the democratic process, providing legal and political certainty for all parties, and affirming that the legislative and presidential elections are interconnected constitutional obligations that must not be separated or treated independently.
Third: The Coalition reiterates its firm rejection of imposing any political or ideological conditions on the right to stand for election. Such conditions undermine political pluralism and may be used to exclude political parties, electoral lists, or candidates on the basis of their political positions or programs.
The Coalition therefore calls for the repeal of the newly introduced political eligibility requirements and a return to the legal and procedural framework that governed the general elections scheduled for 2021. This would ensure equality and equal opportunities while limiting eligibility requirements to objective, clear, and legally defined criteria, free from vague wording or provisions that are open to political or selective interpretation.
Fourth: The Coalition stresses the necessity of ensuring that elections are conducted in Jerusalem, including the right to stand as candidates, vote, and campaign freely. It also calls for reaching an early and clear national consensus on the mechanisms for the participation of Jerusalemite Palestinians, rather than postponing this issue until the final stages of the electoral process.
Fifth: The Coalition affirms that holding elections in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, is an essential condition for preserving the unity of the electoral process and the unity of the Palestinian political system. Any elections that do not encompass all Palestinian territories or fail to ensure equal participation for all citizens will not achieve their intended national and democratic objectives.
Sixth: The Coalition calls on the relevant Palestinian authorities to provide all guarantees for the integrity and transparency of the electoral process, safeguard the freedoms necessary for political and media activities, create an environment that respects freedom of opinion, expression, assembly, and association, and prevent arrests, summonses, or any form of harassment on the basis of political or electoral activities.
The Coalition also calls upon the international community to assume its political and legal responsibilities by exerting pressure on the occupying authorities to ensure that elections can be held in Jerusalem, prevent interference with or obstruction of the electoral process, and provide the political, technical, and monitoring support necessary for the conduct of comprehensive, free, and fair Palestinian elections.
Ramallah, 13 July 2026
Member Organizations of the Civil Coalition for Elections:
•    Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR)
•    Arab World Observatory for Democracy and Elections (Al-Marsad)
•    Civil Committee for Election Monitoring
•    Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN)
•    Human Rights and Democracy Media Center (SHAMS)
•    Thabat Center
•    Jerusalem Legal Aid Center
•    Al-Najdeh Association
•    Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (MUSAWA)
•    Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH)
•    Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Rule of Law (ISTAQLAL)
•    Al-Haq
•    Center for the Defense of Civil Liberties and Rights
•    Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy Issues
•    Palestinian Institution for Empowerment and Local Development (REFORM)
•    Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development
•    Palestinian Youth Association for Leadership and Rights Activation (PYALARA)