Palestinians will hold a parliamentary election on July 17, their first since 1996, acting President Rawhi Fattouh said on Saturday. The vote would complete a major political transition set in motion by the November death of Yasser Arafat, whose successor will be chosen in a presidential election on Sunday. Mahmoud Abbas, a former Arafat deputy, was widely expected to win the presidential ballot. "The Palestinian people in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Al-Quds are invited to a free and direct legislative election on Sunday, July 17," Fattouh, caretaker president since Arafat's death, said in a decree issued in Gaza City. He said the Palestinian election law would be modified to expand the number of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council from 88 to 124 for the upcoming election. The period for nominating parliamentary candidates will run from June 6 for 12 days with the election campaign July 2-16, Fattouh said. His decree was to be published in official media on Sunday. The presidential election will also be the first since 1996.
