Ariel Sharon en el hospital

El primer ministro israelí, Ariel Sharon.

Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, was taken to hospital in Jerusalem last night. He's said to have suffered a mild stroke. But with Israel's general election only three months away, the question now is whether Mr Sharon's health will be a problem.

This report from James Menendez:

A hospital spokesman told the BBC that Ariel Sharon had a comfortable night at the Hadassah hospital here in Jerusalem. He's now awake and undergoing further tests and scans, the spokesman said. Mr Sharon was brought into hospital last night and found to have suffered a mild stroke. He's expected to stay for at least another day or so while he undergoes treatment.

The prime minister's political advisors have been keen to stress that he's still running the government and that there's no question of him resigning. But there's little chance that the issue of Ariel Sharon's health will now go away. Israel's general election is just three months away - an election which Mr Sharon recently announced he would fight for a new political party: Kadima. Up until now, Ariel Sharon has been Kadima's biggest electoral asset. He won't want to become a political liability.

a comfortable night
en este caso quieren decir que pasó una noche tranquila, sin dolor o sufrimiento

tests
análisis o exámenes médicos

scans
una ecografía

a mild stroke
un leve derrame cerebral

at least another day or so
al menos un día o dos días más

undergoes
en este caso quieren decir someterse a tratamientos

keen to stress that
poner mucho énfasis

resigning
no existe posibilidad de que dimita de su cargo o puesto

Kadima's biggest electoral asset
de gran valor electoral para Kadima

a political liability
un peligro político

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