Palestinian factions under the umbrella of the Palestinian Liberation Organization are conducting extensive talks in an attempt to reach unified coalition in the upcoming legislative elections.
A senior Palestinian source said that the factions believe that a unified list will guarantee a considerable majority at the legislative elections, against Hamas.
The source also said that the unified list faces big challenges in its elections program which aims to gain the trust of the voters, in addition to the ideological and political differences which separates the PLO factions and the independent figures who enjoy a wide public support.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian leftist movements demand to increase the number of legislators who will be chosen in accordance to the proportional representation principle.
Leftist parties demand 50% representation instead of 44 members which is nearly 33.3%; the parties believe that this way is a more realistic representation to the balance of power in the Palestinian society.
Also, leftist pasties fear that they will not be able to win any seats in the Legislative Council elections after its defeat in the presidential elections in January 2005, as a result of their weak presence in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Fatah changed its position lately and agreed to support the election law which allows electing 88 members in the election departments and 44 members in accordance to the proportional representation principle.
