Sharon blitz: Bush announced call before winner named

TEL AVIV — U.S. President George Bush said he planned to call Likud challenger Ariel Sharon in wake of his victory in Israel. Bush announced his plans an hour before exit polls in Israel showed Sharon the winner.

Sharon trounced incumbent Ehud Barak in elections on Tuesday for Israel's prime minister.

Exit polls broadcast by state television showed Sharon beating Barak by 19 points. Israel's commercial television channel reported the same result. "It is a knockout," state television said.

The win came amid the lowest turnout in decades in an Israeli election. Officials said turnout was slightly more than 60 percent, Middle East Newsline reported. Many Arab voters boycotted the election, heeding a call by the Islamic leadership.

Sharon's victory was expected and prompted calls for Barak to resign from leadership of the Labor Party. Barak has pledged to fight any attempt to oust him from the post.

"Ehud will have to draw conclusions from his failure," Regional Cooperation Minister Shimon Peres said.

Supporters of Peres had appealed to Barak throughout the campaign to step down and allow the former prime minister to continue the race against Sharon.

The Likud chairman has called for a unity government with Labor. But Labor Party sources said Barak and his rivals will reject the appeal.