Random survey shows Fatah, Hamas in dead heat

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The ruling Fatah party and Hamas emerged from Palestinian parliamentary elections on Wednesday in a dead heat, according to a random telephone survey conducted by the West Bank's An Najah University on Wednesday. A pollster at the university, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Fatah won 45.2 percent of the vote and Hamas 42.4 percent, based on a survey of 6,500 voters. He said the survey had an error margin of 5 percentage points - high because it was a random poll. The pollster said the Third Way, a party led by former Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, came in third.