Ramallah, West Bank – Islamic Hamas militants fared better than expected in landmark Palestinian elections Wednesday, and the ruling Fatah Party, though slightly ahead, might be forced to invite them into a coalition government and put Mideast peacemaking at risk, according to exit polls.
Fatah had said before the first parliamentary contest in a decade that it would rather team with small parties than join forces with Hamas, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction and whose presence in the government would be liable to cause friction with Israel, the United States and Europe.
But with the militants making a strong showing in their first legislative run, Fatah would need the backing of an array of smaller parties to cobble together a government.
Because some of the smaller parties have ties with Hamas, Fatah might not be able to court enough of them to form a coalition strong enough to survive the Palestinians’ domestic challenges – and face Israel again at the negotiating table.
An exit poll by Bir Zeit University in Ramallah showed Fatah winning 63 seats in the 132-member parliament with 46.4 percent of the vote and Hamas taking 58 seats with 39.5 percent. Smaller parties received 11 seats, according to the poll of 8,000 voters in 232 polling stations.
A second survey showed Fatah beating Hamas 42 percent to 35 percent, or 58 seats to 53. Official results are due today.
“Neither Fatah or Hamas can form the Cabinet on its own, so they need to get into a coalition with other factions or with each other,” said pollster Khalil Shikaki, who carried out the second survey.
Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian Authority negotiator who won re-election to parliament in his West Bank home town of Jericho, indicated that options were open.
“It’s premature to speak now about the shape and form of the Cabinet,” he told The Associated Press, “but I can tell you that this will be the beginning of a new Palestinian political life, a new horizon.”
The election was the Palestinians’ first truly competitive vote, and officials hoped it would help cement democracy in the post-Yasser Arafat era.
But it also gave unprecedented clout to Hamas, which has carried out dozens of suicide bombings against Israel and is listed as a terror group by the United States and European Union.
The strong showing by Hamas reflected popular discontent with Fatah over corruption, mismanagement and increasing lawlessness.
After voting ended, President Bush said Washington would not deal with Hamas unless it renounced violence against Israel. “Not until you renounce your desire to destroy Israel will we deal with you,” he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
The election will usher in a new parliament and Cabinet, but Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who was elected president last year, will remain head of the Palestinian Authority regardless of the results.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flooded polling stations throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip for a vote to determine how Palestinians wanted to be governed and whether they would pursue negotiations or confrontation with Israel.
Long lines formed at polling stations, and 77.7 percent of 1.3 million eligible voters cast ballots. Under a compromise with Israel, some Arabs in east Jerusalem were allowed to cast absentee ballots at post offices in the disputed city, and voting was extended there by two hours because postal workers were slow.
Abbas has argued that luring Hamas, responsible for dozens of deadly attacks on Israel, into politics would tame it and increase the chances for peace.
“We are coming into a new phase. In this phase, we are calling for the international community to help us return to the negotiating table with the Israelis, conclude the peace process and implement it,” Abbas said after the polls closed.
Hamas leaders said they would not comment until official results are announced.
Though the election appeared likely to turn on internal issues, the results will have deep implications for peace efforts with Israel. If Hamas joins the government, it would be expected to ask for service ministries – health, education and welfare – and to leave diplomacy to others.
Israel says it will not deal with Hamas until it disarms. Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that if a solution to the conflict cannot be reached through peace talks, then Israel will take more unilateral steps like last year’s Gaza withdrawal.
“Anyone who participates in this government must renounce terrorism, must abandon the path of terrorism, must abandon incitement and the culture of hatred, must disarm the terrorist groups,” Israeli government spokesman Raanan Gissin said.
Hamas’ top candidate, Ismail Haniyeh, said the group had no intention of laying down its arms after the elections.
