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Photo: Gil Yohanan
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Photo: Eli Elgarat
Defense Minister Amir Peretz
Photo: Eli Elgarat

Poll: Majority wants Olmert out

Yedioth Ahronoth poll shows majority of Israeli public believes government failed in handling Lebanon war, Olmert, Peretz, Halutz should go home; Likud gained from war deficiencies

 

Political earthquake: A poll published on Friday in the Yedioth Ahrnonoth daily shows that 63 percent of Israelis feel that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert failed in managing the war in Lebanon and should resign.

 

Only 29 percent believe the prime minister is fit to continue leading the country.

 

About 74 percent of those polled said Defense Minister Amir Peretz mishandled the war and should resign his post. A mere 20 percent said Peretz should keep his post.

 

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Dan Halutz faired slightly better than his superiors with 54 percent saying he should resign over the army's failure to knockout Hizbullah, while 38 percent said he should keep his post.

 

Some 25 percent of respondents said former defense minister Shaul Mofaz is most fit to lead the defense establishment.

 

Labor MK and former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon was the second most popular figure for the post with 20 percent of support, followed by former IDF chief Moshe Ayalon with 10 percent and Israel Our Home leader Avigdor Lieberman with 8 percent.

 

Only 3 percent of respondents said Peretz is suitable for the job. Only 5 percent of those polled said Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu should fill the defense post.

 

Twenty-seven percent of those polled said they support early elections as opposed to 20 percent who said Olmert should form a national unit government. Only 19 percent said the government should stay in its current formation.

 

Netanyahu favorite for PM

Sixteen percent of respondents said Labor should be ousted of the government to make way for a right-leaning party, while 14 percent said Labor should stay but the coalition should be broadened to include right-wing coalition partners.

 

The poll showed that should elections be held today Likud would gain 20 parliament seats, a significant improvement from the 12 seats it currently holds.

 

Kadima on the other hand would drop from 29 to 17 seats.

 

Labor didn't fare much better than Kadima with the poll showing a huge drop in support for the party. The poll showed the left-wing party dropping from 19 to 11 Knesset seats if elections were held today.

 

Support for right-wing rivals Israel Our Home increased with projected results showing the party would gain 17 seats in elections. The party currently holds 11 seats in parliament.

 

Asked if Olmert and Netanyahu were the only two contestants in the election race, 45 percent said they'd vote for the latter and 24 percent for the former.

 

The poll showed that if elections were held today Netanyahu would earn the support of 22 percent of voters, followed by Avigdor Lieberman with 18 percent and Shimon Peres with 12 percent.

 

Olmert earned a mere 12 percent in projected election results.

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.25.06, 10:09
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