An exit poll conducted by Bir Zeit University on Wednesday showed Fateh party holding a slight lead over the Hamas movement, with 63 seats out of 132-seat Palestinian parliament, Hamas appeared to be achieving 58 seats.
The official results of the Palestinian municipal elections are not expected to be released before Thursday; the official results will most likely be announced on Friday.
Exit polls conducted on Wednesday showed the ruling Fateh party achieving 11 percentage points over the Hamas movement.
Meanwhile, Israeli TV channel 2 broadcast results of a poll showing Fateh winning 43% of the vote, and Hamas 32%. If Fateh fails to achieve a majority, they will be forced to form a coalition government with Hamas and the other political parties – a contingency which Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has said will not affect his readiness to negotiate a peace agreement with the Israeli government.
