Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will announce today that he intends to quit his ruling Likud and form a new centrist political party, Asaf Shariv, the media adviser in Sharon's office confirmed to Xinhua yesterday night.

Sharon is to visit President Moshe Katsav on Monday and ask him to dissolve the Knesset, said Shariv, adding this would set off a process that would lead to elections in 60 days, unless a Knesset (parliament) member succeeds in forming a new coalition within the next three weeks.

According to the source, Sharon was due to make an announcement before a Likud faction meeting on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Sharon met with Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Tourism Minister Avraham Hirchson, who have said they would follow him to a new party, together with 14 other Likud Knesset members.

Sharon is also expected to decide on Monday whether to accept the March 28 date for early parliamentary elections agreed upon Sunday in a meeting between Likud and the Labor Party.

Observers said that when Sharon forms a new party, he may try to set an earlier date for the race to try to limit the time during which support for his new party could fall.

They added that when Sharon leaves the Likud, the race to succeed him as party chairman is expected to be tight.

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, Education Minister Limor Livnat and Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz have announced that they would join former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Likud rebel leader Uzi Landau and party activist Moshe Feiglin in the race.

(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2005)