RAMALLAH, Jan. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- The Central Election Committee began counting votes right after the Palestinian presidential polls closed throughout the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem Sunday evening.

    Official sources estimated that there were 1.7 million eligible voters, and more than 60 percent of the voters cast their ballots.

    The polls opened at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and closed at 9:00 p.m.(1900 GMT), while hundreds of voters went to the polling stations dotted in the territories at the last moment.

    An exit poll, conducted by the independent Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, showed that Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah's candidate, won 66 percent of the votes, while Mustafa Barghouti, Abbas' main rival, garnered about 20 percent of the votes, and five other candidates trailed far behind.

    The official results of the election will be declared on Monday.

    The winner of the historic race will replace late leader Yasser Arafat who died on Nov. 11 last year. Enditem