Coalition woes set to cast shadow over Sharon win

ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s hawkish Likud Party appeared headed for a convincing general election victory last night.

But the difficulty of forming a stable government amid the turmoil of the Palestinian uprising will give him little time to savour victory.

Israel’s security forces barred Palestinians from entering Israel proper, and voting was proceeding smoothly. But in the turbulent Palestinian areas, seven Palestinians were killed.

Three died in a powerful explosion at a Gaza City house in what Palestinians claimed was an Israeli helicopter missile attack.

However, Israeli army sources said a Palestinian bomb exploded prematurely in the building.

In the West Bank town of Jenin, Israeli troops shot dead four Palestinians in running battles. The army said troops fired on armed men in a series of clashes.

Mr Sharon’s party was far ahead in the opinion polls, and the vote, which will fill parliament’s 120 seats and determine the next prime minister, may be short on drama.

But when the polls close the horse trading begins, and Mr Sharon could face great difficulties in establishing the durable, broad-based government that he seeks to steer Israel through this period of crisis.

The vote is Israel’s fourth general election in seven years. With many Israelis feeling drained by the 28 months of fighting with the Palestinians, the campaign has inspired little passion, though Mr Sharon and his main rival, Labour Party leader Amram Mitzna, have offered sharply different approaches to the confrontation.

“I hope this will be the last time we will have elections in the next four years,” Mr Sharon said as he cast his vote at a Jerusalem school. No Israeli government has served a full four-year term since 1988, and Sharon’s outgoing coalition survived less than two years. Mr Mitzna said “we hope that we will embark on a new path.”

Mr Sharon has kept Israeli troops in Palestinian cities and towns for months, saying they will remain until Palestinian attacks have been stopped and the militants crushed. Mr Mitzna champions a quick withdrawal of Israeli soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip and much of the West Bank.

About 4.7 million of Israel’s 6.6 million residents are eligible to vote, with 27 parties competing. The polls closed at 10pm.

Complete, though unofficial, results were expected today.

At 6pm, voter turnout was 54%, the lowest ever since 1973, when the Central Election Committee began keeping statistics.

With Mr Sharon’s Likud expected to emerge as the largest faction, with 30 to 33 seats according to opinion polls, attention was already shifting to post-election coalition troubles that could significantly weaken the prime minister.

Israel’s Likud party won 36 seats in the 120-member parliament, according to Israel TV’s exit poll after voting finished last night.

The once-dominant Labour Party posted its worst results ever, winning only 18 seats, the TV said. The centrist Shinui Party was seen as winning 14 seats.

Two other TV networks ran similar projections based on phone polls.