Public petitions submitted through the People’s Majlis e-Petition Portal will only be valid for public endorsement once they are formally opened for signatures by Parliament, the Parliament Secretariat has clarified.

The Parliament Secretariat said petitions cannot be signed by the public unless they have been reviewed and officially listed under the petitions seeking signatures section of the e-Petition Portal. Signatures collected before this process will not be recognised under parliamentary regulations.

Under the procedure outlined by Parliament, a petition must first secure five initial signatures through the portal before it can be forwarded for review. Once submitted, staff assigned to the Petitions Committee will assess whether the petition meets the requirements set out in the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure. Only petitions that pass this review will be opened for public signing.

The Secretariat noted that some petitioners have been collecting signatures before their submissions are formally published on the portal. It said such petitions remain private initiatives of the petitioner and do not qualify as official petitions until they are opened for endorsement through the parliamentary system.

Members of the public have been advised to verify that a petition appears on the official e-Petition Portal before signing it. The Secretariat said instructions on how to proceed with petitions will be sent to petitioners via their registered e-Faas accounts and urged users to follow the guidance provided.

The e-Petition Portal, launched as part of efforts to modernise parliamentary processes and expand public participation, allows citizens to submit petitions online, track their progress and endorse causes digitally. Signatories are authenticated through the national digital identity system, ensuring transparency and compliance with parliamentary procedures.