(Angus Reid Global Scan) – The governing Fatah faction could make significant gains in the Palestinian Authority’s next election, according to a poll by An-Najah National University. 27.2 per cent of respondents would support Fatah candidates in the Legislative Council ballot.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – The governing Fatah faction could make significant gains in the Palestinian Authority’s next election, according to a poll by An-Najah National University. 27.2 per cent of respondents would support Fatah candidates in the Legislative Council ballot.
The Hamas Islamic Resistance Movement is second with 13.7 per cent, followed by independent Islamist candidates, independent Nationalist candidates, the Palestinian Left and the Palestinian National Initiative. A third of all respondents are undecided. The election is scheduled for Jul. 17.
On Mar. 17, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas said that representatives from 13 factions—including Hamas and Islamic Jihad—had agreed to extend the temporary cessation of attacks against Israel until the end of the year.
Last year, Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and co-founder Abdel Aziz Rantisi were killed in separate Israeli missile strikes. The Israeli government believes Hamas is directly responsible for the deaths of 377 citizens in a variety of attacks, which include dozens of suicide bombings. Hamas was the top party in seven of the 10 Gaza Strip municipalities that held local elections on Jan. 27.
In the 1996 ballot, Fatah elected 50 members to the 81-seat Legislative Council.
Polling Data
What political party would you support in the Legislative Council elections?
Fatah | 27.2% |
Hamas | 13.7% |
Independent Islamists | 5.7% |
Independent Nationalists | 5.4% |
Palestinian Left | 3.3% |
Palestinian National Initiative | 1.5% |
Undecided | 33.2% |
Source: An-Najah National University
Methodology: Interviews to 1,361 Palestinians in the West Bank and 500 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, conducted from Mar. 16 to Mar. 19, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
