Second Council

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Second Council

Legislative elections were conducted on January 25, 2006 to elect the second council members. Elections were conducted in accordance with the general elections law of (2005); that amended the number of PLC seats from 88-132 seats with a term of four years.

The aforementioned law has adopted the equally mixed electoral system in terms of the number of council seats, changing the former system from full majority into 50% majority to elect the members in sixteen constituencies, and 50% proportional considering the entire Palestinian territory as one electoral district.

The general elections law allocated six seats for Christians, among the seats allocated to constituencies which will be determined by presidential decree. Article (4) of the General Elections Law about Women’s representation states that:

“Each electoral list nominated for the proportional elections (lists) shall include a minimum for the representation of women that is not less than one woman in:

1. The first three names in the list;

2. The next four names that follow;

3. Each five names that follow.”.

Seven parties and groups ran the elections in which Change and Reform list ( Hamas) won. At the constituency level Hamas won 45 seats against 17 for Fateh. At the list level, Hamas won 29 seats against 28 for Fateh, with a total of 74 seats for Hamas and 45 for Fateh out of the 132 seats.

The elections results are illustrated in the following table:

No.	lists	Proportional (Lists)	Majority (constituencies)	Total
1	Change and Reform Bloc / Hamas	29	45	74
2	Fatah Movement	28	17	45
3	List of Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa / Popular Front(PFLP)	3	--	3
4	Alternative List (Alliance of the Democratic Front and the People's Party delegation and independents)	2	--	2
5	The Third Way	2	--	2
6	Independent Palestine / Coalition of initiative and independent	2	--	2
7	Independent backed by Hamas.	--	4	4
Total	66	66	132

The first session was held on February 18, 2006 in the Palestinian presidential headquarter in Ramallah,

at the invitation of President “Mahmoud Abbas” -President of the Palestinian National Authority,

where the new members swore in the oath, and elected the Council Speaker Bureau.

One hundred and thirty two members were divided into fourteen parliamentary permanent committees,

as follows:

1. Political Committee

2. Economic Commission

3. The Budget and Finance Committee

5. The Legal Committee

6. Education Committee.

7. Oversight and human rights Committee

8. Interior and Security Committee.

9. Local Government Committee

10. Energy and Natural Resources Committee

11. Al-Quds Committee

12. Refugees Committee

13. Land and Settlement Resistance Committee.

14. Martyrs, prisoners, wounded, veterans, and fighters Committee.

15. Social Affairs Committee.

Seven prisoners in Israeli jails were among the PLC elected members;mainly: Marwan Barghouti, Jamal Huwail and Mohammed Abu Ali from the Fateh list , Muhammad Aladdin Natsheh, Hassan Khalil and Azzam Salhab, are from the reform and change list, and Ahmed Saadat from the list of Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa-the popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Parliamentary Blocks:

The Articles( 5,6,7) of the PLC“Standing Orders” state that parliamentary blocs shall not be formed of less than ten members representing 5% of the total number of members, but each member shall join one parliamentary

Bloc only. Articles (18,19,20) on rights and duties of members state that parliamentary Blocs shall have the

right to organize their work in a special Standing Orders.

In accordance with the above mentioned articles, only on the blocs of “change and reform”, and Fatah movement, were able to form blocs.

Council Sessions:

The Second Legislative Council has held twenty-seven parliamentary sessions, before being deactivated after

2007 military coup in which Hamas took over the Gaza Strip on June 14, 2007. Hamas’s parliamentary block

Rejected the call of Mr. President “ Mahmoud Abbas” to convene the PLC on September 11,2007.

All the PLC sessions of didn’t result in passing any legislation. The PLC was also unable to oversee the executive

authority . The major focus of the debates was on political affairs rather than legislations or oversight.

Arrest of PLC members.

Following the kidnapping the Israeli soldier “Gilad Shalit” by Hamas on June 26, 2006 in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces arrested more than thirty-two deputies, from the Change and Reform Bloc in the West Bank, which negatively impacted the parliamentary life. The PLC Bureau( Speaker, First Deputy speaker, second Deputy speaker, Chairs of Committees, and the secretary General) were not elected due to the coup . This Bureau shall be elected annually at the beginning of each period.