Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has failed to garner the support of the Likud Party Convention for his resolution to negotiate with the Labor Party over a coalition government, according to a CNN report.

Final results from the convention, held in Tel Aviv, showed that a majority of delegates had voted in favor of the resolution filed by Minister Without Portfolio Uzi Landau against allowing Sharon to negotiate with the Labor Party.

Sharon's resolution was defeated by just 19 votes. 42 percent of the Likud party members participated in the secret ballot.

Sharon slammed his opponents within the Likud when he addressed the convention before voting, saying they were "working against" the government.

He insisted that he would not accept the automatic disqualification of parties or personalities with whom he wished to conduct coalition negotiations.

Source: CRIENGLISH.com