Israel's president signed an order today for early elections on March 28, setting in motion what is certain to be a tumultuous campaign after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon quit his Likud party.
Parties have been thrown into frantic manoeuvring since Mr Sharon announced on Monday he was quitting rightist Likud to free his hands to pursue peace with the Palestinians and asked President Moshe Katsav to call early elections.
Mr Katsav said he had signed the order setting the election date and dissolving parliament after consultations with lawmakers and party leaders, who had already agreed the date. Parliament may also vote later to approve the decision.
"I have already signed the decree," Mr Katsav told reporters.
For procedural reasons, the order will only take effect on December 8 Mr Sharon will stay on as prime minister until elections and should have a free hand to change his cabinet before then.
Polls suggest that the biggest gamble of Mr Sharon's long political career could come off and that he would be re-elected for a third term as prime minister, with leftist Labour behind him and the remains of the right-wing Likud in third place.
Mr Sharon quit Likud so that he could try to end conflict with the Palestinians without having to fight off a rearguard of Likud hardliners who opposed his widely popular withdrawal of troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip.
Violence persists in the West Bank, another territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 war and which Palestinians want for a state. Israeli troops scouring the city of Jenin for militants today shot dead an unarmed Palestinian during a confrontation with stone-throwers, security sources said.
The Israeli army had no immediate comment.