Palestinian votes, opinion polls put Hamas ahead of Fatah

Fatah said its own figures gave it 46 per cent of the vote to about 32 per cent for Hamas. Hamas said it doubted the figures were correct and wanted to wait for the count.

But pollsters caution that there is a big margin for error in their calculations, not least because of the complicated Palestinian electoral system under which half the seats are chosen from party lists and the others on a district basis.

The strength of support for Hamas has raised the prospect that it could win government posts for the first time.

Hamas, whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel, has nevertheless largely followed a truce for nearly a year.

It was expected to capitalise on Fatah’s image for corruption and mismanagement which the erstwhile guerrilla faction founded by former President Yasser Arafat has gained since the Palestinian Authority was established in 1994. Amid tight security, Palestinians queued at polling stations across the West Bank and Gaza Strip where they voted after their index fingers were daubed in blue ink to prevent fraud.

Militants under orders to avoid trouble on election day after weeks of armed chaos left their weapons outside.

Casting his ballot in Ramallah, Abbas, who has called the election an important step toward statehood, said voting was proceeding smoothly.

Israel has said future peacemaking would be in doubt if Hamas, responsible for many suicide bombings during a five-year-old uprising, took a role in government.