JERUSALEM, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Israel is scheduled to hold the 17th Knesset (Parliament) elections on Tuesday, a key ballot whose results are to have massive impacts on Israel's politics and the Mideast peace process.

    Thirty-one parties will compete for the 120 parliamentary seats and a share in the future government.

    The following is a brief introduction of the three major parties in the coming ballot.

    KADIMA

    Kadima, Israel's newest centrist party, is set to make its polled but in the elections and tipped to win the most seats, between 35 and 40.

    The party was established in November 2005 by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after he quit the center-right Likud party due to internal opposition to his Gaza pullout.

    Sharon recruited senior members of Likud and the center-left Labor party into Kadima and then called for early elections to take place on March 28, 2006.

Ehud Olmert, acting Israeli PM and chairman of Kadima (Xinhua/AFP)

    Industry and Trade Minister Ehud Olmert, a long time ally of Sharon, has taken over as acting Prime Minister and chairman of Kadima since Sharon remained comatose following a Jan. 4 major stroke.

    In its platform, Kadima calls for a return to the internationally-backed roadmap peace plan which envisions a two-state solution to the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but Olmert has said that he intends to unilaterally fix the borders with the Palestinians by 2010 following the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)'s victory in the Palestinian legislative elections.

    Olmert has said that Israel would relinquish small settlements in the West Bank in further unilateral operations but would retain large settlement blocs and that Jerusalem would remain undivided under Israeli sovereignty.

    Meanwhile, he has vowed to avoid all contacts with the new Palestinian government headed by Hamas, an Islamic group calling for Israel's destruction.

    Kadima's other key planks include maintaining the status quo between state and religion and encouraging employment through domestic and international investment opportunities.

    LABOR

    The center-left Labor party, with its social-economic emphasis, is trailing behind Kadima as latest polls suggest it might secure between 17 and around 20 seats.

    Labor traces its origins to Israel's main labor-Zionist movement, Mapai, which enjoyed a monopoly on state power until 1977.

Amir Peretz, party chairman of Labor (Xinhua/AFP)

    The election of prominent union head Amir Peretz as chairman late last year marks a return of the party to its socialist-democratic roots.

    Labor has made social accountability as its new theme, which is focusing more on economic rights in addition to social issues.

    The party's top slogan is a pledge to raise the minimum wage to around 1,000 U.S. dollars.

    In addition, Labor's platform includes returning to the negotiating table with the Palestinians, a strong focus on education, guaranteeing mandatory pensions for all citizens, improving the status of women and Arab minorities as well as a reduction in crime and corruption.

    LIKUD

    The center-right Likud party, long-time major party on the Israeli political stage, is behind Kadima and Labor in public opinion polls which show that it might get between 14 and 18 seats.

    The party grew out of the pre-state Revisionist movement and the merger of Menachem Begin's Herut party with smaller factions in 1973. Likud won its first national elections in 1977.

Benjamin Netanyahu, party chairman of Likud (Xinhua/Reuters)

    The party opposes further unilateral withdrawals and any negotiations with Palestinian groups involved in bloody attacks on Israeli targets, stressing that a renewal of peace talks can come only after the Palestinian National Authority fully recognizes Israel's right to exist and cracks down on militant groups.

    It also calls for Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and the completion of the so-called security fence winding deep into the West Bank and near Jerusalem.

    In addition, Likud advocates reducing taxes and encourages a greater role for women in workforce.

    Benjamin Netanyahu, veteran Likud politician, was elected party chairman in December after the defection of Sharon, one of Likud's founders decades ago.

    The founding of Kadima has posed a major challenge to Likud's generation-long status as one of Israel's two major parties along with Labor.

    Sharon's perceived centrist policies have drawn considerable popular support at the expense of Likud, observers said. Enditem