A former prime minister and a political newcomer who both pledge to bring down Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government will face each other in a runoff after an inconclusive vote for leadership of Israel's Labor Party, final results yesterday showed.
Former prime minister Ehud Barak edged out Ami Ayalon 36 percent to 31 percent in Monday's voting. While the victory marked an important milestone in Barak's political comeback, he fell short of the 40 percent threshold needed for an outright victory, setting the stage for a June 12 runoff against Ayalon.
About 65 percent of 104,000 eligible voters participated in the primary. The current Labor leader, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, finished third with 22 percent, while two other candidates lagged far behind with single-digit support.
Labor has served as the junior partner in Olmert's year-old government. The next Labor leader is expected to shake up that alliance.
Both Barak and Ayalon have called for Olmert's resignation in the wake of a highly critical government report on his performance during last summer's war in Lebanon. It's unclear, however, how quickly they would work for his ouster.
Barak, 65, has said he would serve temporarily in an Olmert government, while also pushing for early elections. Olmert was elected last year to what is supposed to be a four-year term.
Ayalon, 61, has promised to lead the centrist Labor out of its partnership with Olmert if the prime minister's Kadima Party doesn't choose a new leader.
Both Ayalon and Barak could face a tough time leading their party out of the government. Many senior Labor officials favor staying in the government -- wanting to hold on to power and fearful that the party could lose in a new vote.
Opinion polls forecast the hard-line Likud Party, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would win a new election.
For Barak, Monday's primary win was an important step in his political comeback.
Barak spent nearly six years in political exile after he was crushed by Ariel Sharon in a 2001 election, following a short and stormy premiership that collapsed after failed efforts at making peace with Syria and the Palestinians.
In terms of policies, there appear to be few differences between Barak and Ayalon. Both favor sweeping territorial concessions under a final peace deal with the Palestinians. Instead, their differences have been more in style.
During the campaign, Barak stressed his experience and said he has learned from his mistakes.
``I tell voters only two things: I tell them to think about who they want more in a time of war, and I tell them that only with me heading our team can we beat Netanyahu,'' he said on Monday.
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