The Likud coalition continues to maintain a large lead over the opposition Labor Alignment among Israelis, according to the latest public opinion poll published here this week.
The poll, conducted earlier this month by the Dahaf Research Institute and directed by Dr. Mina Zemach for the monthly magazine Monitin, showed that Likud would get 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset if elections were held now — the some number as was shown in a poll last month but up from 51 last May. The Labor Alignment would get 38 seats — compared to 39 in July and 45 last May.
The poll also showed that if former Defense Minister Ezer Weizman formed a new centrist party it would get 15 seats if elections were held now. These seats would come mostly from Labor supporters rather than from the Likud of which Weizman is a member. With a new centrist party, the number of Likud seats in the Knesset would drop to 56 while Labor would slip down to 30 seats, according to the poll.
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