NABLUS, Nov 9 (JMCC) - Fateh affiliated student bloc, Shabebeh, grabbed 57 out of the 81 seats at the An-Najah University on Tuesday's student council elections, as Hamas boycotted the elections for the third time in a row.

The number of students who went to cast their votes dipped slightly this year with 57 percent voter turnout compared to 59 percent in 2008. Last year's election was canceled due to internal administrative contentions.

The remaining 24 seats were divided between six other student blocs. The student bloc affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine won six seats, Mustafa Barghouthi's Palestine National Initiative affiliated group got six seats, the Progressive Students Union that adheres to the Palestinian Peoples Party picked up three seats and the Fida Party-linked Independence bloc got two seats.

The Student Unity Party affiliated with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine got five seats while the debut group, Kifah, received two seats. One student group, Nidal, was not able to secure any seats.

Though the student council's official objective is to represent student interests to the university, the elections, which have traditionally been linked to political factions, are regarded as a manifestation of the larger Palestinian political scene amid the factional power struggle that's paralyzed the local and national elections for years.