Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat has promised to have a new government in place within 10 days during a meeting in his Ramallah headquarters.
The move, decided on at a meeting last night, will aim to streamline the government as well as making its ministries more efficient and frugal.
Mr Arafat also said the Palestinian Authority's various security services would be reorganized, without indicating any specific date.
The Palestinian leadership recommended yesterday the elections be held in December this year.
"The elections for the legislative council and the presidency can take place in December 2002," the leadership said in a statement after the Ramallah meeting chaired by Mr Arafat.
It also called on "the international community to help our people exercise its democratic rights and elect its governing bodies in total freedom . . . safe from occupation, military escalation and repression".
On May 15th, Mr Arafat promised to reform his Palestinian Authority, seen at home and abroad as corrupt and dysfunctional. The next day, parliament adopted a proposal for municipal polls to be held before the end of 2002 and general elections at the beginning of 2003.
AFP