JERUSALEM, Nov. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday asked President Moshe Katsav to dissolve parliament, the first step to a possible election in March next year.

    "The prime minister asked me to dissolve the Knesset (parliament) as it cannot function properly in its current form," Katsav said after a meeting with Sharon.

    The president said the law gives him 21 days to decide, but he would make a quick decision on Sharon's request.

    Katsav added that he would soon consult with legal authorities and political leaders on bringing forward the parliamentary election, originally scheduled for November 2006.

    "I believe the election should be held as early as possible," he said.

    Sharon's request came hours after he decided to quit the far-right Likud he helped set up in 1973, and to form a new centrist party in a bold attempt to contest snap elections probably set for early next year.

    Earlier, he and Labor's newly-elected leader Amir Peretz agreedto advance the parliamentary election to February or March.

    In September, Sharon's pullout from Gaza and part of the West Bank caused an outcry among rebels in the Likud faction in parliament, where they withheld support for his government. Enditem