Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced on Friday that he will ask the biggest winner in the parliamentary elections, the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas), to form a new cabinet.

Abbas made the announcement to reporters outside his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, one day after official results of Wednesday's elections indicated that Hamas won a majority of 76 seats in the new 132-seat legislature.

"I have not asked anybody so far to form the government but we are leading towards contacts and consultations with all the blocs in parliament. Of course, I am going to ask the majority party to form the government," Abbas told the press.

According to the Palestinian election law, Abbas shall ask the party that garners the most seats in the parliament to form next government.

Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has presented his resignation on Thursday, shortly after Hamas declared victory in the elections, the second of its kind but the first in which Hamas participated in Palestinian history.

Source: Xinhua