ABSTRACT
After Ehud Barak and Labour defeated Binyamin Netanyahu in June 1999, Ariel Sharon was chosen by a demoralized Likud party as a temporary caretaker. Less than two years later, in a special election held in February 2001, Sharon defeated Barak to become prime minister, gaining record support exceeding 60 per cent of the vote. Sharon proceeded to build on this foundation, forming a national unity government (NUG), and after the coalition collapsed, triggering the general elections of 2003, Sharon led the Likud to a sweeping victory.
