Israel elections: Sharon v Barak

Sharon and Barak: Contenders in the polls

Israel's left-wing Meretz party has refused to back Shimon Peres' candidacy for prime minister, leaving Prime Minister Ehud Barak to face right-wing opposition leader Ariel Sharon in the polls.

We must prevent this [Ariel Sharon's] victory, but the chances of doing so are weak

Shimon Peres

The party had set a deadline for Mr Peres and Mr Barak to agree between themselves who should stand as a single candidate in the forthcoming prime elections.

But the country's two most prominent left-wing politicians failed to reach an agreement.

After a later meeting mediated by Meretz leader, Yossi Sarid, also ended in disagreement, the party voted to reject Mr Peres by 25 to 17 votes.

Shimon Peres: "I will continue to work towards peace"

The decision means that Mr Barak will face a single candidate, the right-wing Likud party leader, Ariel Sharon.

Mr Peres said he was disappointed with the outcome as he believed Mr Barak had only a slim chance of beating Mr Sharon on 6 February.

Not standing

"We must prevent this [Ariel Sharon's] victory, but the chances of doing so are weak," he said.

Earlier, Meretz chairman Yossi Sarid had said Mr Barak should give Mr Peres a "key role in the peace process".

Peres' career

Previously PM in 1984 and 95

Lost elections in 1977, 81, 84, 88 and 96

Nobel peace prize Arafat and Rabin in 1994

Currently minister of regional co-operation

But while Mr Peres said after his defeat that he would "continue to work for peace", he is believed to have refused an offer from Mr Barak to assume overall responsibility for negotiations with the Palestinians, saying he "was not asking for a job".

BBC Middle East correspondent Frank Gardner says opinion polls show Israelis see former Prime Minister Mr Peres, 77, as the man best suited to do a deal with the Palestinians.

The latest opinion polls also give Mr Sharon a lead over Mr Barak.

But correspondents say Mr Barak hopes to improve his position by securing a peace deal with the Palestinians before the elections.

Israeli and Palestinian delegations are currently holding talks in Washington, but violence is continuing in the West Bank and Gaza.

Two Palestinians and an Israeli have been killed in the latest incidents.