Palestinian president restores parliament to 132 seats, reverses expansion

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday issued a decree restoring the number of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council (parliament) to 132, reversing a law enacted in June that expanded the legislature to 200 members.

The Palestinian Central Elections Commission said it received the new decree, which repeals the previous amendment while reinstating parts of the original election law alongside several new changes based on the commission's recommendations.

The new decree retains several provisions introduced in June, including lowering the minimum age for parliamentary candidates from 28 to 23, requiring women to comprise at least 33% of candidates on electoral lists and maintaining a 1% electoral threshold.

It also preserves a requirement that electoral lists commit to the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the "sole legitimate representative" of the Palestinian people, its political and national program, and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.

The amendments give electoral lists three days to complete or correct their nomination applications before the Elections Commission issues a decision, while also clarifying procedures for announcing preliminary and final election results and filing appeals.

The decree also bars candidates from simultaneously running for president and parliament.

It authorizes the Elections Commission to establish procedures for illiterate voters and people with disabilities and regulates voting and vote-counting procedures in the Gaza Strip, including the verification and transfer of results between the commission's headquarters and regional offices.

The commission said it would proceed with the election timetable, with parliamentary elections scheduled for Nov. 28.

It added that in-person voter registration will begin on Aug. 15 and continue for five days alongside online registration.

The Palestinian Legislative Council has been inactive since 2007 following a split between the Fatah and Hamas movements after Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip. Abbas dissolved the legislature in 2018, while the last parliamentary elections were held in 2006.

The Palestinian territories have remained politically divided since 2007, with Hamas governing the Gaza Strip and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority administering parts of the occupied West Bank.