Palestinians to Adopt Proportional Voting System

Prime Minister AbbasParliamentary elections in Palestine, which were originally set for July 17th,  have been delayed as groups have called for changes to the way in which seats are apportioned. The most contentious issue about the electoral system has been the debate between district voting and proportional voting. Many civil society groups and parties have argued that at least half of the deputies be elected through proportional voting, while President Abbas even argued that all seats be elected through proportional voting.

On Saturday, June 18, in response to diverse pressures, the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) finally approved by a vote of 43-14 the bill with the amendment that requires seats to be apportioned evenly according to the two electoral systems.  According to the new law and amendments, 66 deputies will be elected in local districts and 66 will be elected through proportional voting, in which voters will cast their ballots for different parties.

[More on proportional voting for Palestinian elections]
[Articles discussing Palestinian adoption of proportional voting]