February 2001 World Headlines

Thursday, February 1, 2001 - Web posted at 8:06:06 AM GMT

Sharon still miles ahead

JERUSALEM - With just six days left until Israelis go to the polls to select a prime minister, right-winger Ariel Sharon still has a likely insurmountable double-digit lead over Prime Minister Ehud Barak, latest opinion polls showed yesterday.

A survey by Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot found that 50 per cent of Israelis would vote for Sharon, while just 34 percent would vote for Barak, a landslide in Israeli political terms.

Sixteen per cent of respondents said they were undecided.

A similar poll published in the English language newspaper The Jerusalem Post ahead of the Feburary 6 election found the Likud party leader Sharon leading Barak by 49 per cent to 27 per cent.

As the election approaches, calls have mounted for Labour party leader Barak to cede his candidacy to former prime minister and Nobel peace laureate Shimon Peres, whom polls show running neck-and-neck with Sharon.

The Haaretz newspaper reported that members of Barak's inner circle have stepped up efforts to convince him to drop out of the race in favor of Peres in an effort to save the faltering peace process and the Labor Party.

- Nampa-Sapa-AFP

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