Abbas elected Palestinian president

Pragmatist Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian Authority president by a wide margin today, exit polls showed, winning a decisive mandate to renew peace talks with Israel, rein in militants and try to end more than four years of Mideast bloodshed.

The victory of the staid Abbas, who has spoken out against violence and has the backing of the international community, ushered in a new era, after four decades of chaotic and corruption-riddled rule by Yasser Arafat who died last November.