Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon is far ahead of his foreign minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, in the battle to lead the right-wing Likud party into a general election, polls showed today.
A poll of party members published by the Yedioth Ahronothnewspaper gave Mr Sharon an 18 percentage-point lead over Mr Netanyahu less than a week before the November 28th party ballot.
A poll in the Ma'ariv newspaperput Mr Sharon 16 percentage points ahead of Mr Netanyahu, the same gap as a week ago.
The winner of the leadership battle is expected to be the next prime minister because opinion polls predict Likud will defeat the centre-left Labour Party in the general election on January 28th.
The poll in Yedioth Ahronothpredicted Likud would more than double its representation in the 120-seat Knesset from 19 mandates to 38. Labour would drop from 26 seats to 21.
The poll showed that 78 per cent of Likud supporters wanted Mr Sharon to reappoint Mr Netanyahu, a former premier, as his foreign minister in the next government.