Jerusalem, Jan 29: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud Party secured a convincing victory in Israel's general election, official results showed today, his hardline security policies proving far more popular than the more dovish line adopted by his Labour rivals.
As the election results became clear early today, Sharon made an impassioned plea for centrist parties to join a broad national unity coalition as, despite its impressive win, Likud remained far short of a parliamentary majority in the Knesset.
But Labour leader Amram Mitzna, after his party's
worst-ever electoral defeat, ruled the idea out. He said the
result would herald a new era in opposition to regroup after
the party was strained by internal squabbles over the collapse
of the peace process it crafted in 1993.
With over 90 per cent of all votes counted, Likud was set to win 37 of the 120 parliamentary seats, making it easily the largest party in the Knesset but with much work ahead to forge a coalition government, according to official results
released today.
The right-wing party was thereby set to almost double
its representation in Parliament from the 19 seats it held
before yesterday's election, according to the Central Election
Commission.
Labour, whose dovish campaign never took off, lost its
dominant position in the Knesset and can expect to end up
with just 19 seats in the new Parliament, six down on its
previous number and the worst result in the party's history.
Bureau Report
