Qadima will be the victor in Tuesday’s general elections for Israel’s seventeenth Knesset, or parliament, according to final polls published before the elections.
A poll of polls suggests that out of 120 seats that are up for grabs, Qadima will gain 34 seats, Labor Party – 19, Likud party – 14, right wing parties – 21, leftist secular parties – 7, religious parties – 17 and Arab parties – 8.
Polls suggest a low turnout of voters on Tuesday, and anticipate that 65 percent of the eligible voters will cast their ballots.
The centrist Qadima party was established in November 2005 by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after he bolted from the Likud party. Sharon has since been hospitalized and the reins were passed to his replacement, Ehud Olmert.