Official results from the Kibbutz sector were released Tuesday evening with Barak winning 54.4 percent of the vote, compared to 44 percent for Ayalon and 1.6 percent who abstained. In the Moshav sector, which had a voter turnout of 72 percent, Barak won 60 percent of the vote to Ayalon's 40 percent.
In the Druze sector, Barak scored a solid victory, winning 4,323 votes compared to 2,518 for Ayalon.
Other official results point to a significant advantage for Barak in the Arab sectors. In Umm al-Fahm, Barak received 156 votes compared to 42 for Ayalon.
Barak scored a slim victory in Jerusalem, receiving 1,097 votes compared to 1,043 for Ayalon. In Lod, however, Ayalon received 420 votes compared to only 39 for the former prime minister. Ayalon also emerged victorious in Sdot Yam and Shoham.
Final results are not expected to be announced until 4 A.M. Wednesday morning.
There was a relatively high voter turnout in the election, with 64.5 percent of Labor Party members casting their ballots.
Both Barak and Ayalon invested a great deal of effort in recent days to bring out thousands of voters who did not participate in the first round two weeks ago.
Barak cast his ballot in Kfar Sava, while Ayalon voted in Geva Carmel.
During a visit to a polling station in Ramat Gan, Barak was asked by a voter to describe the difference between himself and Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ehud Barak casting his ballot in the Labor Party primary at a polling station in Kfar Sava on Tuesday. (AP)
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"The difference is that Bibi is a bad person who walks all over people," Barak responded, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. "I do not walk all over people."
While visiting a polling booth in Givatayim, the former prime minister was asked if Ami Ayalon and current party chairman Amir Peretz, who was eliminated in the first round, would have a place in the government should he win.
"We will find the appropriate place for everyone," Barak answered. He reiterated the central message of his campaign - that only he can defeat Netanyahu, prepare Israel for war, and make the right decisions for peace.
Addressing a conference organized by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel on Tuesday, Ayalon called for an all-out war against government corruption.
"[This war must be] based above all on full backing for all judicial, investigative, and ombudsman authorities in Israel."
During a visit to Kibbutz Ma'agan Michael, Ayalon said: "As someone who grew up in the Kibbutz movement and was raised on its values, I believe that the movement has a central role in restoring the country's sanity."
Following the announcement of the results, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to begin immediate negotiations with the Labor chairman-elect, with the objective of presenting the new make-up of the cabinet within two weeks.
As tension mounted and the candidates courted votes, Israel Radio reported that Peretz's daughter had begun to clear his belongings from the offices of the party chairman.
After his elimination in the first round of voting, Peretz had thrown his weight behind Ayalon, who served as the commander-in-chief of Israel's navy and head of the Shin Bet security service before entering politics.
In 2003, Ayalon joined forces with Palestinian university professor Sari Nusseibeh, to produce "The People's Voice" peace plan.
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Magal
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