Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has not yet ratified the new election law, said a senior Palestinian official on Monday.

Suleiman al-Roumi, chief of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Legal Committee, told Voice of Palestine radio that the amended law must be brought back to the PLC within thirty days for approval.

Within 30 days Abbas should send the draft of the amended law with his own comments on any further amendment, he added.

Meanwhile, he said he expected that the date of holding the legislative elections, originally scheduled on July 17, would be delayed because "there are legal dates that must be respected."

"The remaining period for holding the legislative elections on July 17 is only 47 days, but the legal period must not be less than 60 days in order to hold the elections," said al-Roumi.

Source: Xinhua