Sharon Declared Incapacitated, Paving Way for Olmert
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Sharon, who has been in a coma for three months, will be declared permanently incapacitated tomorrow, a decision that signals the official end of his tenure as Israel’s leader, the Justice Ministry said yesterday.
Mr. Sharon, 78, was declared temporarily incapacitated after he lapsed into a coma following a stroke January 4. Ehud Olmert stepped in for him as acting prime minister, but under Israeli law he can only serve in that capacity for up to 100 days before an official replacement for Mr. Sharon has to be named.
That deadline expires Friday, but because the Jewish Passover holiday begins Wednesday, the declaration of permanent incapacitation has been moved up – with the proviso that it not take effect if Mr. Sharon’s condition improves before the deadline, a Justice Ministry spokesman, Jacob Galanti, said.
Mr. Olmert, who won March 28 elections, is expected to be named Mr. Sharon’s official replacement.
