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Ramallah: Palestinians go to the polls today in the first parliamentary elections in 10 years. The election could see Hamas ? who are standing on an anti-corruption platform ? become involved in government for the first time. Opinion polls show that Hamas is just a few percentage points behind President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah. Abbas himself has urged Palestinians to come out in force to cast their votes. He has also called on security forces to prevent any disruption or cheating. He said: "These elections will be a step on the way to freedom, achieving our independence and building our state." Around 1.4 million people in the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem are eligible to vote for the 132-member Palestinian Legislative Council.
Voters will choose among 11 party lists at the national level and more than 400 candidates running locally. Around 900 foreign observers have been deployed to monitor the process. The main Palestinian militant groups have pledged to prevent trouble, while the Israeli army and police have also pulled withdrawn to avoid interfering in the election in the West Bank.
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