Most Palestinians want elections in May

The results of an opinion poll released Wednesday show that the vast majority of Palestinians in the occupied territories support holding elections in May, state media said. Some 85 percent of Palestinians support the current election schedule, according to the Arab World for Research and Development poll cited by Wafa, the Palestinian Authority's news agency in Ramallah. Conducted between Nov. 22-24, the poll showed that Palestinians continue to place the highest importance on achieving national reconciliation, with 96 percent saying it was at least somewhat important. The poll also showed that President Mahmoud Abbas, who has promised not to run for any future term, would beat Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister in Gaza whose government was dismissed by Abbas. In parliamentary elections, Fatah would receive 46 percent vs 17 percent for Hamas, while in local elections a Fatah list would receive 43 percent while an Islamist list would receive 17 percent. If elections were conducted today, Fatah would receive 46 percent -- 49 percent in the West Bank and 42 percent in Gaza -- while Hamas would receive 17 percent -- 14 percent in the West Bank and 22 percent in Gaza. The poll included 1,200 people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and had a 3 percent margin of error.