In municipal elections in the West Bank and Gaza, the ruling Fatah party received 56 percent of the votes and control of twice as many local councils as terrorist run party Hamas (which received 33 percent of the vote). Over 280,000 voters turned out for the elections, which were generally considered free and fair. Post vote surveys indicate that many of the votes for Hamas were not pro-terrorist, but a way to punish Fatah for poor performance in the past.