JERUSALEM, Dec 20: Former premier and arch hawk Binyamin Netanyahu swept to victory on Tuesday in the contest to succeed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as leader of Israel’s beleaguered right-wing Likud party.

The 56-year-old was formally declared the winner shortly after his closest challenger, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, conceded defeat.

Netanayhu pledged in his victory speech to lead the party, which has dominated Israeli politics for the last three decades but is facing possible meltdown at March’s general election, back to power.

“I came here tonight to tell you that as of now, the Likud is beginning the march back to reclaim the leadership of the country,” he told supporters.

Netanayhu had been introduced onto the stage by the party’s director-general Arik Brami with the words: “I congratulate the winner of the primaries.”

Although the official results were still to be declared, an exit poll had earlier given Netanyahu 47 per cent of the votes against 32 per cent for Shalom.—AFP