| |
 |
Barak vows not to quit
|
ISRAELI Prime Minister Ehud Barak has vowed not to rescind his candidacy even if he has only four supporters, Israel Radio reported yesterday.
Barak, who resigned on December 10, prompting a special prime ministerial election, said that he was determined to compete in the race scheduled for February 6.
Ministers in Barak's cabinet and Labor Knesset (parliament) members have raised the possibility that if his standing against Likud leader Ariel Sharon fails to rise in opinion polls this week, he should be replaced by Minister for Regional Co-operation Shimon Peres as Labor's candidate.
Barak is to face off Sharon, a right-wing hawk, in the upcoming prime ministerial elections. Results of the opinion polls have showed that Sharon was taking a lead over Barak by nearly 20 per cent.
Meanwhile, the polls also showed that Peres, former prime minister and an architect of the 1993 Olso peace accord with the Palestinians, had a significant edge over Sharon if he was to take part in the race.
Under Israeli laws, a candidate is allowed to quit a prime ministerial election four days before the voting to let in another candidate from the same party.
(Xinhua)
|
|
|
|
