国际英语新闻：Israel to hold snap election in mid-February

JERUSALEM, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli parliamentary spokeswoman said Tuesday that a general election has been tentatively set for Feb. 10, with possibility of a one-week delay, local daily Ha'aretz reported.

Hila Mizrachi made the announcement after Parliament Speaker Dalia Itzik met with leaders of parliamentary factions to decide on the date for the polls, originally scheduled in 2010, a day after President Shimon Peres told the legislature that he saw no chance of forming a new government.

Israeli Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni, also ruling Kadima chairwoman, speaks to the media after meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the later's residence in Jerusalem, Oct. 26, 2008. Livni told Israeli President Shimon Peres on Sunday that she failed to form a coalition and called for an early general election.

    The ruling Kadima party, the second largest party Labor and the main opposition party Likud have all agreed to hold the election on Feb. 10, local news service Ynet reported, while adding that it could be postponed to Feb. 17, through legislation, due to the earlier date's proximity to a Feb. 9 holiday.

    With the Jewish state counting down to its election day, parliamentary leaders also decided that the parliament will go on its election break on Nov. 11, according to Ynet.

    Earlier this week, Kadima leader Tzipi Livni, who received a presidential mandate to set up a new cabinet in September and was once expected to have good chances of succeeding, abandoned her cabinet-making efforts and urged Peres to call for an early general election.

    Following consultations with party leaders, Peres said at the opening the parliament's winter session that it had become clear that none of the parliamentary factions were capable of building a coalition and thus the country would go to a general election.

    Recent polls showed that the right-wing Likud would win the snap election, while a latest survey found that the three-year-old Kadima could retain its top position with a wafer-thin edge over Likud.