Fatah claims victory in first West Bank poll since 2006

RAMALLAH: Fatah supporters were claiming victory Sunday ahead of the official results in the first West Bank election since 2006, in a local poll boycotted by Hamas.

In the southern city of Hebron, supporters of the Fatah party of president Mahmud Abbas, which dominates the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, were out on the streets celebrating as early as late Saturday. The movement claimed in a statement to have won in most of the municipalities, towns and villages on the West Bank.

"We consider the victory as a major popular referendum on the movement's political programme and its national performance," spokesman Ahmad Assaf said in the statement.

Polling stations shut Saturday after 12 hours of voting and preliminary results are not expected until 1600 GMT Sunday.

Shortly after the end of voting, Hanna Nasser, chairman of the Central Elections Commission (CEC) said 277,000 out of the 505,600 eligible voters had cast ballots, putting the turnout at 54.8 percent. "The elections went very smoothly," he told reporters in Ramallah.