Palestinians began registering voters for an as yet unscheduled general election on Saturday, in the first concrete step to meet long-standing international and domestic demands for reforms.
Palestinian presidential and legislative elections are nearly four years overdue and Palestinians blame Israel's occupation of areas handed over under the 1993 interim peace deal with Israel for the failure to hold a vote.
"For some two years they (Israel) have not enabled us to carry out our municipal, legislative, or presidential elections," Arafat told reporters after he registered to vote at his partially destroyed headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said: "I urge the international community, especially the United States to help us in creating the atmosphere to hold free and fair elections."
Palestinians said they intend to start by holding elections for 38 municipal councils in November, a vote expected to be a test of strength between militant groups and Arafat's Palestinian Authority ahead of an Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip next year.
A date for presidential and legislative elections would be set after the municipal vote, scheduled to be held gradually over a year. The municipal elections would be the first since Palestinian Authority took control in 1994.
Palestinian legislators have been pressing Arafat for a municipal vote to replace mayors appointed by the Authority and clean up alleged corruption in city halls.
The Palestinian Central Elections Committee said it has opened 1,000 voter registration centres throughout the West Bank, including Arab East Jerusalem, as well as the Gaza Strip, where some 3.5 million Palestinians live. Election officials said the voter registration drive would last five week.
The first and last Palestinian elections were held in 1996 and new elections should have taken place in 2000.