Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was declared on Tuesday as the winner of the primary elections for head of Israel's Likud party, formerly headed by current Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Netanyahu's main rival for the position, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, conceded the election to him by telephone early Tuesday.
Acting Likud chairman Dani Nave told a cheering crowd, "We have a leader - Benjamin Netanyahu," reported Reuters.
National elections in Israel are set for March 28.
Many feel that the primary outcomes, with radical right wing contestant Moshe Feiglin reciving a surprisingly large percentage of the vote, will have an extremist image.
Netanyahu on Tuesday reportedly sent his representatives to find out whether Labor Party chairman Amir Peretz was interested in setting up an alternative government in an attempt to weaken rival party, Kadima, recently established by Sharon.
Peretz was reportedly not interested in such an arrangement.
Sharon released from hospital on Tuesday
The ruling Likud party recently underwent a massive upheaval following the departure of its leader, Sharon, who left to form the new centrist Kadima.
Sharon suffered from a mild stroke on Sunday, and was released on Tuesday from the Jerusalem hospital where he was being treated.
Sharon's doctors say he did not suffer any damage from the stroke. "He looks fine, feels fine and he wants to go home," the Jerusalem Post quoted one of his aides as saying.
77-year old Sharon is quickly recovering from the stroke, though the illness is raising questions about his political future. The prime minister is extremely overweight, and doctors are recommending that he go on a diet and rest.
One advisor told reporters that the impact of the stroke was "huge", and that "Sharon was expected to win by a landslide with a new party that he formed only a month ago. The party was really formed around his image, and everything revolves around him," he said.
Many expect the Prime Minister's health to be a main topic in upcoming Israeli elections.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
