In the end it was a landslide. Hamas, the Islamic militant group, won 76 votes in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, compared to 43 for President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement.
The Election Commissioner announced first preliminary results at 7.15pm (1715 GMT), revealing the extent of the change to the Palestinian political landscape.
They are based on 95 per cent of the votes counted. Thanks to the complexity of the voting system, final results will not be due until tomorrow.
Anticipating the news, supporters of Hamas rushed the 132-seat Palestinian parliament this afternoon, hoisting their emerald green crescent flag above the building as the new regime symbolically took control. Celebrations in Gaza and the West Bank, muted by uncertainty this morning over the extent of the Islamic militant organisation's shock victory, exploded onto the streets.
Ahmed Queria, the Prime Minister, and the rest of the ruling Fatah Cabinet had already resigned - possibly with early warning of the scale of the Hamas vote. Even the Hamas leadership was said to be surprised at the size of their win. Earlier they had been imagining a junior role in a coalition government with Fatah, which has dominated the Palestinian political scene for four decades.
Hamas has not laid down its arms or disbanded its suicide bombing groups. Its convention commits it to the destruction of Israel. Huge numbers of questions remain unanswered about how it will deal with its sudden access to power.
The result is being seen in many places as a bodyblow to the Middle East peace process. It leaves Western governments with a diplomatic headache.
Ismail Haniya, the chief candidate on the Hamas list and a leading contender to become Prime Minister, gave an impromptu victory speech outside his home in Gaza City's Beach refugee camp this morning. He said that the result represented the beginning of a "new era" in Palestinian politics - but refused to renounce Hamas's tactics of violence.
"As long as there is occupation resistance will continue. We have every right to protect ourselves and defend ourselves with all means possible," he said.
He said that Mr Abbas had spoken by telephone to Khaled Mashaal, Hamas's most senior leader who is in exile in Damascus, to begin talks about assembling a new government.
In impoverished towns and villages across the Palestinian areas, truckloads of supporters took to the streets. Youths wearing green bandanas or baseball caps hung out of car windows as they careered along the dirt streets of this impoverished camps, shouting Islamic slogans and making victory signs with their fingers.
In Ramallah, the seat of the Parliament, around 3,000 jubilant supporters descended on the central Manara square, overwhelming the Fatah-dominated police force. After smashing a window in the legislative council building - for years a symbol of Fatah's dominance - they ripped down the Palestinian flag from the roof and replaced it with their own. Volleys of celebratory gunshot rattled above the melee as fights broke out between the two rival factions.
The result was greeted nervously in the West, where the EU and US say that they will not negotiate with an administration which retains a commitment to armed violence. The EU's €350 million annual grant to the Palestinian Authority may also be in doubt.
In Washington, President Bush said that he had been heartened by the display of democracy by the Palestinians, and Fatah had only themselves to blame if voters turned on it for its perceived corruption.
But he said he could not accept Hamas as a partner in the peace process as long as it retained its commitment to the destruction of Israel. He also called on Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, to remain in office.
"If your platform is the destruction of peace, you can't be a partner in peace," Mr Bush said.
The Israeli Government was reserving its official comment until after the release of the final result. Senior Cabinet ministers were holding an emergency meeting tonight to formulate a response. Binyamin Netanyahu, the former Prime Minister and leader of the right-wing Likud Party, warned: "Today, Hamastan has been formed, a proxy of Iran in the image of the Taleban."
Tony Blair said that the time had come for Hamas to turn its back on violence. "I think it is important for Hamas to understand that there comes a point, and that point is now following that strong showing, where they have to decide between a path of democracy or a path of violence," said the Prime Minister.
"The only way we will ever get to a solution that is good for the Palestinian people is based on democracy and peaceful coexistence between the state of Israel and an independent Palestinian state."
Hamas says that it wants to work in concert with Fatah to address the "very great" problems facing the Palestinian communities. Fatah has so far rejected these overtures, and is instead focusing on becoming an effective opposition.
Mr Abbas was elected separately a year ago and remains President, but he has said he would step down if he could no longer pursue his peace agenda with Israel. At present continued peace talks seem highly unlikely.
Mr Haniya condemned Mr Bush's stance that the White House would refuse to deal with Hamas until it renounced violence. He said: "The American administration which called for democracy has to respect democracy and the Palestinian people expressing their feelings of change. They have to respect the result of the ballot box. Hamas has not come from outer space. They come from among the Palestinian people."
Asked if he would negotiate with Israel, said: "Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] was elected on a political programme based on negotiations and peace. What did they do for Abu Mazen after a year in power? They gave him nothing."
Despite the rhetoric, however, it would be difficult for Hamas to allow its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, to continue bombing attacks while also playing a government role and seeking funding.
Turnout for Wednesday’s vote was heavy, with 77 percent of 1.3 million eligible voters casting ballots. The polling stations were heavily guarded, and there were no reports of major violence.
International observers, led by former US President Jimmy Carter and the former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, said Thursday the elections were "well administered."
