JERUSALEM (AP) - TV exit polls say Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has won a clear victory in the party primary election to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.The polls were released a few minutes before the end of voting Wednesday night. For an outright victory, Livni needed 40 percent of the vote. The three TV exit polls gave her between 47 percent and 49 percent.
Her nearest rival, former defense minister and military chief Shaul Mofaz, received 37 percent in all three polls.
Livni is Israel's chief negotiator in peace talks with Palestinians. She favors diplomacy to solve Israel's problems, although she has said she would not hesitate to pull the trigger if necessary.
Supporters at her headquarters cheered when the TV stations broadcast their polls simultaneously.
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JERUSALEM (AP)—Israel's ruling Kadima Party voted for a new leader Wednesday, choosing between Tzipi Livni, a popular foreign minister who would be the nation's first female prime minister in more than 30 years, and Shaul Mofaz, a gruff ex-general who favors a tough line against Iran, Syria and the Palestinians.
The winner will likely be Israel's next prime minister, replacing Ehud Olmert, who is stepping down over corruption charges.
The biggest issue at stake was the future of Israel's peace talks with the Palestinians, with Livni seen as far more amenable to a final deal than Mofaz. Livni, 50, is Israel's lead negotiator in those talks.
Either candidate would make history by becoming prime minister. Livni would be the first female premier since Golda Meir. Mofaz, who was born in Iran, would be the first Israeli of Middle Eastern, or Sephardic, descent to lead the Jewish state.
Mofaz is seen as having a better chance at cobbling together a ruling coalition if he wins. But polls show Livni to be a far stronger candidate in a general election against Israel's other political star, Benjamin Netanyahu of the hard-line Likud Party.
Kadima extended voting hours by half an hour, apparently to give voters returning from work more time to cast ballots at crowded polling stations. Analysts predicted a high turnout would favor Livni, who has a wide advantage in opinion polls but who is seen not to have rallied party activists as efficiently as Mofaz.
The fact that only 74,000 party members, in a country of 7 million people, were eligible to vote added to the uncertainty of the outcome. Israeli media reported that two hours before the new closing time of 10:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. EDT), some 40 percent of the eligible Kadima voters had cast ballots. However, voting often picks up in the evening after working hours in Israel.
Mofaz, a former chief of staff and defense minister, insisted that opinion polls that showed him trailing Livni were inaccurate.
It remained unclear if either would be able to break the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff, which, if required, would be held next week. Two other candidates, Cabinet minister Meir Sheetrit and former Shin Bet security service director Avi Dichter, lagged far behind in the polls.
The winner of the primary will have 42 days to put together a ruling coalition. Failure to do so would mean a new general election in early 2009, a year and a half ahead of schedule. Olmert will remain as a caretaker leader until a new coalition is approved by parliament.
Foreign minister since 2006, Livni is a rare female power figure in a nation dominated by macho military men and a religious establishment with strict views on the role of women. A former lawyer and one-time agent in the Mossad spy agency, Livni favors diplomacy over confrontation, even though she said last week that she has "no problem pulling the trigger when necessary."
Joyce Amiel, a Kadima supporter in Tel Aviv, said she was voting for Livni "mainly because she is a woman, even though her positions are not clear. We think she would do the best job. We want her to win."
Casting her vote in Tel Aviv, the usually reserved Livni bubbled with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. She said she was pleased with the turnout at her polling station and urged people to vote.
"You can determine today what the character of Kadima will be," Livni said. "You can determine today if you really have had enough of old-time politics. Come and vote, bring your children, and show them how you are changing the country."
Mofaz takes a tougher line, demanding the Palestinians fulfill a series of conditions before a final deal can be reached. He also is more willing to order military action in times of crisis. He spooked global oil markets in June when he said Israel would have "no choice" but to attack Iran if sanctions fail to curb its nuclear program. He has since backed away from those comments.
"The state of Israel stands before major challenges in the coming years and needs a strong leader who has the courage to decide and the ability to act," he told Army Radio.
The primary is Kadima's first since it was founded by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2005. Sharon suffered a debilitating stroke in early 2006, and Olmert subsequently led the party to victory in elections.
Olmert, who is under police investigation over his finances, has said he will resign as soon as Kadima has a new leader. He has been carrying out intensive peace talks with the moderate Palestinian leadership in charge of the West Bank, although both he and his Palestinian counterparts say they are unlikely to reach the U.S.-set target date of year's end for a final peace deal.
Israeli political science professor Gadi Wolfsfeld predicted Livni could use such a deal to win a national election.
"If she comes to a tentative agreement with the Palestinians, why not run on that platform, which would be very good for her," he said.