Poll: Hamas leader would win Palestinian elections

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas would apparently lose to the head of Hamas were Palestinian elections held on Tuesday, according to a survey.

Administered by pollster Khalil Shikaki, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would be expected to receive 49 percent of the vote while Abbas would get 42 percent.

Abbas is in his 14th year of a four-year term that started in January 2005.

The survey interviewed 1,200 people in the West Bank and Gaza, and consisted of a 3 percent margin of error.