Vice Premier Shimon Peres has the support of 32 percent of party members, according to a Ma'agar Mohot poll reported by Israel government Radio. Peretz is in second place with 27 percent, far ahead of two other contenders, Knesset Members Binyamin (Fuad) Ben-Eliezer (14 percent) and Vilna'i (13 percent).
A poll released by the Dahaf institute earlier this week reported similar results except for Peres, who was backed by 40 percent, the minimum needed by the leading candidate to prevent a second round of voting. The leadership vote in the party primaries is scheduled for November 9.
Vilna'i accused Peres of hurting the labor party by his close association with Peretz, whose two-member Am Ehad faction merged with Labor earlier this year and increased Labor's mandates to 21. "If Peretz will win, this is because of Peres," Vilna'i charged. "Voters understand that Peretz and Peres are left-wingers who are not able to win."
On the Likud side, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon recently beat back a bid to advance the primaries from March to next month.
However, MK Michael Eitan, who backed the Prime Minister's expulsion policy, demanded Thursday that the party return "to an acceptable democratic path, accept majority policy votes and uphold them in the Knesset."
Prime Minister Sharon last year promised to accept the decision of a party referendum last year on whether to support the expulsion plan. Two-thirds of the voters turned down the plan, but the Prime Minister said he was not legally bound to accept the decision, which he rejected.
A poll released by the Dahaf institute earlier this week reported similar results except for Peres, who was backed by 40 percent, the minimum needed by the leading candidate to prevent a second round of voting. The leadership vote in the party primaries is scheduled for November 9.
Vilna'i accused Peres of hurting the labor party by his close association with Peretz, whose two-member Am Ehad faction merged with Labor earlier this year and increased Labor's mandates to 21. "If Peretz will win, this is because of Peres," Vilna'i charged. "Voters understand that Peretz and Peres are left-wingers who are not able to win."
On the Likud side, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon recently beat back a bid to advance the primaries from March to next month.
However, MK Michael Eitan, who backed the Prime Minister's expulsion policy, demanded Thursday that the party return "to an acceptable democratic path, accept majority policy votes and uphold them in the Knesset."
Prime Minister Sharon last year promised to accept the decision of a party referendum last year on whether to support the expulsion plan. Two-thirds of the voters turned down the plan, but the Prime Minister said he was not legally bound to accept the decision, which he rejected.