in the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council election (the last time that the Palestinians were given the chance to elect their government), Hamas secured 76 out of 132 seats and effectively became the ruling power in Palestine, the occupied and densely-populated Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank. A poll by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey also found that 53 per cent of Palestinians view Hamas as the most suitable representative of the Palestinian people. The mandate of President Mahmoud Abbas expired in 2009