Tel Aviv - Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz will demand a recount of Wednesday's primary vote in Israel's ruling Kadima party, supporters said early Thursday after he narrowed his gap behind front-runner Tzipi Livni.

With some 80 per cent of the vote counted by early Thursday, Foreign Minister Livni stood at 45.9 per cent of the vote, against 41.1 per cent for Mofaz, giving her a lead of 4.8 per cent, Israel Radio reported.

Tel Aviv  - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is leading over her main rival, Shaul Mofaz, in the primaries of Israel's ruling Kadima party, first results show.

With some 10 per cent of the votes counted by midnight, Livni stands at 53.1 per cent of the vote, against 31.7 for Transportation Minister Mofaz.

The other two candidates, Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit and Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, have thus far obtained 10.3 per cent and 4.8 per cent of the vote respectively, Israel Radio reported.

Tel Aviv  - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert congratulated Tzipi Livni on her projected victory in Wednesday's primary for Israel's ruling Kadima party.

Olmert telephoned Livni, wished her success and promised his full cooperation with the 50-year-old foreign minister who is to succeed him as party leader, and as prime minister if she succeeds in forming a new coalition.

Tel Aviv  - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has overwhelmingly won Wednesday's primaries in the ruling Kadima party, giving her a good chance of becoming Israel's next prime minister and the second woman ever to run the country, exit polls predicted.

Livni won between 47 and 49 per cent of the vote, according to three independent exit polls broadcast by Israel's Channel 2, Channel 10 and Channel 1 State Television stations.

Her main rival, hawkish Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, obtained 37 per cent of the vote, all three polls predicted.

Tel Aviv  - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has won Wednesday's primaries in Israel's ruling Kadima faction, succeeding Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as the party leader, two exit polls broadcast by Israel's main television channels predicted.

Channel 10 predicted Livni received 49 per cent of the vote, against 37 per cent for her main rival, hawkish Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz. The two other candidates, Avid Dichter and Meir Sheetrit, each received 7 per cent.

Tel Aviv  - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday evening that his decision to resign after his party elects a new leader had been painful, but added he felt "no bitterness."

"I decided to resign, with pain, not with pleasure, I must say, really with pain," a tired-looking, casually clad Olmert told a gathering of students in Israel's southern Negev desert.