Barak widens lead over Netanyahu

Jerusalem: For the first time an Israeli opinion poll on Friday showed Opposition Labor Party leader Ehud Barak winning 50 percent of the vote in elections for Prime Minister, eight points more than right-wing Netanyahu.

Just 17 days before the first round of elections, the survey by the Gallup organization found that in a direct run-off, Barak would win 50 pc of the vote to 42 pc for Netanyahu, his widest lead yet.

But eight percent of the 900 people queried were still wavering. The poll confirmed a steady rise in Barak8217;s popularity in recent weeks and was the first time the Labor leader was credited with garnering half the vote.