New Poll: Netanyahu and Likud Would Replace Olmert and Qadima In Election

A new poll released on Friday by the nation’s leading daily, Yediot Aharonot, shows a dramatic reversal of political fortune among parties, with Binyamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party emerging on top. If elections were held now Likud would capture 32 seats in the 120-seat parliament, up from the 11 it presently holds. Ehud Olmert’s Qadima party, on the other hand, would plunge to 18 from the 29 it holds now. The Yediot Aharonot poll indicates the Labor party has not recovered from its implosion and is on track to drop eight seats (12 down from 20). The poll, executed by the Dahaf organization, offered alternatives for Labor by showing significantly greater strength if it drops current party head Amir Peretz and replaces him with other candidates, one of whom is former prime minister Ehud Barak.