Sharon surgery continues
2006-01-05 07:54
Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was fighting for his life on Thursday after suffering a massive stroke, throwing the country into turmoil just weeks before a general election.
The 77-year-old Sharon, was undergoing emergency surgery to drain blood from his brain after being rushed to hospital on Wednesday night, with doctors describing his condition as "serious".
Doctors called a halt to an initial bout of surgery after six hours but he was readmitted to the operating theatre when complications arose.
Shlomo Moryussef director of Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital said: "The prime minister has been taken back to the operating theatre and we are now continuing the same operation as there are additional areas that have to be treated.
"The situation is serious."
Powers transferred
The powers of the premier, who is seeking re-election in a nationwide poll scheduled for March 28, have been transferred to Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Sharon's admittance came hours before he was due to undergo a procedure to repair a small hole in the heart to prevent a repeat of a minor stroke he suffered on December 18.
His precarious state of health will upset all previous predictions of the outcome of the election in which his new Kadima party had been expected to romp to victory, with commentators already declaring an end to the Sharon era.
His second stroke also comes amid rising chaos in the Palestinian territories ahead of a January 25 legislative election and his fate will have far-reaching consequences for the Middle East peace process.
Medical experts said the operation was potentially life-threatening and even if he were to survive, he would be incapacitated for some time.
"It's very risky and he could die from the operation," US neurologist Matthews Gwynn told CNN.
"We would be looking at weeks if not months before he would functioning close to normally."
Maimon told reporters gathered outside the hospital that Sharon had felt unwell while he was at his ranch in the southern Negev desert and was admitted to hospital just before 23:00.
He announced that Olmert, a former Jerusalem mayor, would be acting prime minister.
Lengthy recovery
Sharon has already announced his intention to serve a full term by which time would be 82 and by far the oldest prime minister in the history of the Jewish state.
However commentators said it would be virtually impossible for him to realise his dream of a third election victory.
"Even if he does recover, he will have a very hard time convincing the public of his ability to serve four more years, after undergoing two strokes in two and a half weeks," wrote Haaretz columnist Aluf Benn.
"One can cautiously say that it appears that the era in which Sharon stood at Israel's helm came to a tragic end on Wednesday."
Few of Israel's prime ministers have left such a mark on both the military and political landscape as Sharon over the last half a century.