Pollster Nader Said of the West Bank's Bir Zeit University said most Palestinians did not have high expectations of the legislature to begin with, and that the long recess didn't change that view.
In a September survey by Said, 55 percent said they had a negative opinion of parliament, making it one the least regarded institutions, on par only with the Cabinet. The error margin was 3 percentage points.
"It's not one of the priorities to activate the legislative council," Said said of the public's concerns. "They are more concerned about internal fighting. People didn't have high expectations of the legislative council, they had high expectations of the government."
The previous, Fatah-controlled legislature, was widely seen as a rubber stamp for Arafat, the autocratic ruler who died two years ago. However, lawmakers did pass a forerunner to a constitution and were able exercise some oversight over the government.
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