Should the two be the only candidates in a presidential election, Abbas would garner 43.3 percent of the vote and Haniya would get 23.5 percent, according to the survey by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center (JMCC).

Abbas's Fatah party and Hamas are scheduled in the coming weeks to hold reconciliation talks sponsored by Egypt.

Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip, ousting forces loyal to Abbas in June 2007. Since then, Abbas has only held sway in the West Bank.

The conclusion of Abbas's mandate at the head of the Palestinian authority will be among the key topics at the talks.

Hamas points to the Palestinian Authority's constitution, under which Abbas has a four-year mandate expiring on January 8 next year.

Fatah, on the other hand, highlights electoral legislation that states presidential and legislative elections must be held at the same time -- which effectively means Abbas's term would be extended by a year as the Hamas-dominated parliament was elected for a four-year term in January 2006.

Abbas has suggested holding presidential and legislative elections on a date to be agreed by both sides.

The opinion poll indicates 51 percent of Palestinians favour holding such elections in January 2010, while 36.5 percent want a presidential vote to take place held in January 2009.

Palestinians have stronger trust in Fatah than Hamas, by a ratio of 30.5 percent to 16.4 percent.

The survey was conducted between October 2 and 6 among 1,194 Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It has a three percent margin of error.

© 2008 Agence France-Presse