Poll shows Livni leading Netanyahu
source: http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/-/1068/484560/-/rys0nb/-/
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Tzipi Livni has seen a sharp turnaround in fortunes for Israel’s ruling Kadima party since she became leader last month and could now beat the right-wing opposition in a coming election, polls indicated on Monday.
Two newspaper surveys published a day after Livni abandoned her efforts to forge a new coalition government and recommended to the president that he call a parliamentary election showed Kadima just beating Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud – a reversal of the results forecast in previous polls, published in August.
Corruption-free
Ms Livni’s Kadima colleagues attributed the gains to her image as a new kind of corruption-free politician, though few appeared to relish going to polls with an untested leader so soon.
“I think that we didn’t want an election. We wanted to continue in the existing (coalition) configuration,” Environment Minister Gideon Ezra of Kadima told Israel’s Army Radio.
“But this is reality,” he said. “We hope we’ll be able to form an even more stable government after the election.”
With Israel focused on choosing a new leadership, prospects for progress in slow-moving US-sponsored peace negotiations with the Palestinians seem dim.
Washington had hoped for at least a framework agreement by the end of the year.
Centrist Kadima was battered by the 2006 Lebanon war and a slew of graft scandals that forced Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign last month, although he remains in office until a new government is formed.
Ms Livni replaced Olmert as Kadima leader on September 17.
President Shimon Peres was expected to tell the Knesset later on Monday that a new government could not be established, setting into motion procedures for a new election in late January or in February.
The poll in Yedioth Ahronoth daily predicted Kadima would take 29 of 120 seats in the Knesset – the same number it has now – while Likud would take 26, up from 12.
The Labour party of Defence Minister Ehud Barak, Olmert’s main ally in the outgoing government, was seen taking 11 seats, down from 19 now.
A similar poll, also conducted on Sunday, for the Maariv newspaper gave Kadima 31 seats, Likud 29 and Labour 11
Two newspaper surveys published a day after Livni abandoned her efforts to forge a new coalition government and recommended to the president that he call a parliamentary election showed Kadima just beating Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud – a reversal of the results forecast in previous polls, published in August.
Corruption-free
Ms Livni’s Kadima colleagues attributed the gains to her image as a new kind of corruption-free politician, though few appeared to relish going to polls with an untested leader so soon.
“I think that we didn’t want an election. We wanted to continue in the existing (coalition) configuration,” Environment Minister Gideon Ezra of Kadima told Israel’s Army Radio.
“But this is reality,” he said. “We hope we’ll be able to form an even more stable government after the election.”
With Israel focused on choosing a new leadership, prospects for progress in slow-moving US-sponsored peace negotiations with the Palestinians seem dim.
Washington had hoped for at least a framework agreement by the end of the year.
Centrist Kadima was battered by the 2006 Lebanon war and a slew of graft scandals that forced Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign last month, although he remains in office until a new government is formed.
Ms Livni replaced Olmert as Kadima leader on September 17.
President Shimon Peres was expected to tell the Knesset later on Monday that a new government could not be established, setting into motion procedures for a new election in late January or in February.
The poll in Yedioth Ahronoth daily predicted Kadima would take 29 of 120 seats in the Knesset – the same number it has now – while Likud would take 26, up from 12.
The Labour party of Defence Minister Ehud Barak, Olmert’s main ally in the outgoing government, was seen taking 11 seats, down from 19 now.
A similar poll, also conducted on Sunday, for the Maariv newspaper gave Kadima 31 seats, Likud 29 and Labour 11
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