Sharon to transfer power during op

ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will be given general anaesthesia during a heart operation today and turn over his duties to his deputy, Ehud Olmert.

Mr Olmert will assume Mr Sharon’s duties for about three hours while doctors perform the procedure, known as cardiac catheterisation, to seal a small hole in the prime minister’s heart. The hole was discovered after Mr Sharon’s mild stroke on December 18.

Doctors say Mr Sharon, 77 and overweight, suffered no permanent damage, and the procedure will virtually eliminate the risk of a similar stroke.

The stroke put the health of Mr Sharon on the political agenda as he seeks a third term in March 28 elections. Polls forecast a strong victory for him.

Meanwhile, Mr Sharon’s eldest son, Omri, resigned his parliamentary seat yesterday, ahead of a January 22 sentencing over charges of illegal fundraising for his father’s 1999 election campaign.