Polls open in Israel elections

Ariel Sharon’s hawkish Likud Party appeared set for a convincing victory in elections today, but the urgent challenges of forming a stable government amid the turmoil of the Palestinian uprising will give him little time to savour victory.

Almost 8,000 polling stations across the country opened at 7am local time and were set to close at 10pm local time.

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

But as soon as the polls close, the horse trading begins, and 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 national election in seven years. With many Israelis feeling drained by the relentless conflict with the Palestinians, the campaign has inspired little passion, though Sharon and his main rival, Labour Party leader Amram Mitzna, have offered sharply different approaches to the confrontation.

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. The dovish Mitzna party champions a quick withdrawal of Israeli soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip and much of the West Bank.

“No one really expects the dawn of a new day, at most the twilight of an old evening,” commentator Hemi Shalev wrote in the Maariv daily.

About 4.7 million of Israel’s 6.6 million residents are eligible to vote, with 27 parties competing.

Immediately after polling stations close, Israeli TV stations plan to broadcast exit polls and telephone surveys. Complete, though unofficial, results are expected tomorrow morning.

To guard against possible attacks, Israel has clamped a three-day closure on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which will keep Palestinians from entering Israel proper.

In Cairo, the Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced that they would not halt attacks on Israeli civilians, ending Egypt’s months-long effort to pave the way for a truce and a resumption of peace talks.

With Sharon’s Likud expected to emerge as the largest faction – Monday’s opinion polls had the right-wing party taking 30 to 33 seats – attention is already shifting to post-election coalition troubles that could significantly weaken the prime minister.

Mitzna has rebuffed Sharon’s appeals to bring the left-leaning Labour Party into another Likud-led government. ”A promise is a promise,” Mitzna said, reaffirming his pledge not to renew Labour’s alliance with Sharon.

Without Labour, Sharon, 74, would have to form a coalition of right-wing and religious parties. Polls predict such a lineup will have a narrow majority in parliament, but would be inherently unstable, leaving the government vulnerable to collapse. Such a grouping would also lead to demands for even tougher security measures against the Palestinians.