By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The ruling Palestinian Fatah party has strengthened against its most serious electoral rival, the Islamic Hamas group, according to an opinion poll released Saturday.
Fatah holds a seven percent lead over Hamas, according to the survey done by Khalil Shikaki, a leading Palestinian pollster. The poll of 4,516 people found that 42% would vote for Fatah and 35% would vote for Hamas. The poll has an error margin of 2 percentage points.
A poll released Friday by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center had the two groups running almost neck-and-neck, with the Fatah winning 32% of the vote and Hamas winning 30%. The election is on Wednesday, January 25.