GAZA, Jan. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- A public opinion poll showed 65 percent of Palestinians will vote for Mahmoud Abbas, the mainstream Fatah movement's candidate for the upcoming Palestinianpresidential elections on Jan. 9.

A public opinion poll showed 65 percent of Palestinians will vote for Mahmoud Abbas, the mainstream Fatah movement's candidate for the upcoming Palestinianpresidential elections on Jan. 9.(Xinhua/AFP)

    The poll, conducted by the Palestinian center for political surveys, showed that among the other six candidates, Mustafa al-Barghouti came second with 22 percent of support, and the other five garnered an overall of 5 percent.

    Eight percent of the interviewees replied as undecided on theirchoice.

    The poll was conducted on Dec. 30-31 and covered a sample of 1,319 Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

    Abbas enjoyed the highest popularity in Gaza with a 70 percent backing. Barghouti's popularity has increased to 24 percent in theWest Bank and to 19 percent in Gaza.

    Abbas got 84 percent of backing among Fatah supporters and 51 percent from other political groups, including the Islamic resistance movement Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberationof Palestine (PFLP).

    The poll showed the Palestinians are evenly divided on Abbas' demand for ending armed resistance, with 49 percent on either camp.

    The poll also showed 50 percent of those surveyed believed Abbas will be able to impose rule of law, while 42 percent believed he can protect the refugees' right to return.

    However, Hamas senior leaders reiterated they will boycott the elections and called on members to follow the decision. Enditem