Tuesday, December 20 2005 10:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jerusalem: Ariel Sharon is expected to make a full recovery after suffering a mild stroke and will be released from the hospital today (Dec 20, 2005), his doctors said. But his illness raised questions about the 77-year-old Prime Minister's long-term health and his ability to lead the country if he wins a third term next year.

As Sharon recovered, members of the hardliner Likud Party, which he quit last month to form the centrist Kadima Party, voted to pick a new leader to run for Prime Minister in the March 28 elections.

Polls gave former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, supported by many of the party hard-liners, a slim lead over Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who is seen as more moderate. Two other candidates trailed far behind.

Likud officials reported very low turnout by today evening among the 130,000 registered party members, but that could be partially a result of mass defections to Sharon's new party. Remaining Likud members also might be demoralized by a huge plunge in support for the party, which is predicted to lose about two-thirds of its strength in the next Parliament.

The winner of the Likud primary must capture 40 percent of the vote or face a runoff, cutting into valuable campaign time.

Kadima holds a commanding lead in the polls, but the party is built around Sharon. At 77 Israel's oldest Prime Minister and his health is likely to become a major campaign issue.

Sharon, who is extremely overweight, was rushed to Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem on Sunday evening after showing signs of confused speech, doctors said.