Poll: Livni brings Kadima more seats than Mofaz

TNS Teleseker poll: Opposition leader Livni would bring party 16 Knesset seats, versus 14 for Mofaz.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Tzippi Livni 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Tzippi Livni 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
A poll on Friday put opposition leader Tzipi Livni ahead of MK Shaul Mofaz in the Kadima primary, one day after Livni’s camp attacked a different survey showing Mofaz gaining more seats for Kadima in a general election.
According to the TNS Teleseker poll published by Ma’ariv, Kadima would get 16 seats in the next Knesset if Livni wins the party leadership race on March 27.
Should Mofaz win, the party would get two fewer seats. At the same time, the difference between the two is within the poll’s margin of error.
Thursday’s poll by Dialog in Haaretz showed Kadima winning 12 seats under Mofaz and 10 under Livni.
The opposition leader’s campaign accused the poll of bias, because Kadima leadership candidate MK Avi Dichter was using Dialog’s services. Kadima has 28 MKs in the current Knesset.
The Ma’ariv poll also showed that the status quo in the Knesset will remain, with right-wing parties maintaining 61-62 seats and left-wing and Arab parties getting 58.
Labor under Shelly Yacimovich’s leadership is expected to be the major left-wing party with 17-18 seats.
According to TNS Teleseker, Likud will have the same number of seats as in the current Knesset, 27, and Israel Beiteinu is expected to drop one seat, to 14.
Television personality turned politician Yair Lapid’s party in the making is expected to get more than 10 seats, while the poll shows Meretz growing from its current three mandates.
TNS Teleseker also showed Shas losing two seats, down from 11 now.
When asked who is most suited to be prime minister, 62 percent of those polled answered Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, while 25% said Livni.