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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: February 16, 2006 |
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The centrist Kadima Party remains the strong front-runner in next month's national election, despite the impending takeover of the Palestinian government by the Hamas militant group, according to a new poll released Wednesday night.
There has been widespread speculation that Hamas' recent victory in Palestinian legislative elections would sway Israeli voters toward hawkish parties. The Hamas-dominated parliament is scheduled to hold its first session on Saturday, and the group is expected to form a new Palestinian government in the coming weeks.
According to Wednesday's poll, Kadima would win 40 seats in the 120-seat parliament, putting it in a strong position to head a new coalition government. The figure was unchanged from a poll conducted a week earlier.
The dovish Labor Party fell to 19 seats from 21 the previous week, while Likud fell to 13 seats from 15.
The election is scheduled March 28.
Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu has focused his campaign on the Hamas threat, saying he is best-suited to confront the militants. Hamas, which has carried out dozens of suicide bombings over the past five years, has refused to renounce violence or end its calls for Israel's destruction.
Kadima, formed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, is being led by Ehud Olmert now that Sharon has been incapacitated by a stroke. Olmert says he wants to pursue a peace settlement with the Palestinians, but has ruled out dealing with a Hamas government.
Wednesday's survey was conducted for the Haaretz daily and Channel 10 TV by the Dialogue polling agency. The poll surveyed 615 prospective voters and had a margin of error of 4 percentage points. |
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