As we mentioned earlier, exit polls, released immediately after voting stations closed, indicate that front-runner Mahmoud Abbas will become the new president.

Meantime, archrival Mustafa Barghouti held a news conference Sunday night expressing pride at the election.

Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian presidential candidate, said: " We've managed to prove that we are a strong powerful democratic force. We've managed to prove that we represent a huge majority that has been silent so far but that is not silent any more. Which is not part of the existing polarism between Fatah and Islamic fundamentalism and that this huge silent majority wants a representative."