Israeli leaders prepare for early elections

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Source: CCTV.com | 10-28-2008 10:04

In Israel. President Shimon Peres announced the decision to hold early elections during the opening of the parliament's winter session on Monday.

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (R) meets  President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem October 26, 2008. REUTERS/Amos Ben Gershom/Handout/GPO

Peres said his decision is based on the fact that none of the political factions are capable of building a coalition.

Peres' announcement came just one day after Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who is also leader of the ruling Kadima party, announced she had failed to form a coalition government, setting into motion procedures for new elections in either late January or February.

The latest opinion polls show Livni's party just ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party. Livni supporters attribute the recent gains to her image as a corruption-free politician.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei