Poll: Sharon crushing Likud

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will crush his former Likud Party in March elections, winning 37 of parliament’s 120 seats, while Likud would sink to nine seats from its current 40, a new poll showed today.

Sharon left Likud less than two weeks ago after concluding his energies would be sapped by rebels who opposed his Gaza Strip withdrawal and would try to block further territorial concessions to the Palestinians.

Since then, polls show his new, centrist Kadima party steadily gaining and Likud steadily shrinking.

The Labour Party, led by its charismatic new leader, union boss Amir Peretz, held firm from previous surveys at 26 seats.

The poll of 500 people, conducted by the Dialogue survey institute was conducted before Labour stalwart Shimon Peres announced on Wednesday night that he was quitting the party to team up with Sharon.

Likud, whose hard-line policies dominated Israeli politics for nearly three decades, is to choose a new leader to replace Sharon later this month.

For the poll, 37% of the Likud voters said Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz would bring the party the most seats in parliament, while 34% said former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who favours a tough line against the Palestinians, would.