Labor MK Sheli Yachimovich announced Thursday that she would support Defense Minister and Labor Chariman Amir Peretz in the upcoming primaries set to determine the leader of the Labor Party.

Yechimovich said that despite the mistakes that Peretz made she would vote for him "so he can remain a central part of the party and return to his socialist agenda".

MK Ami Ayalon leads former prime minister Ehud Barak by a slim margin in the race for the Labor Party chairmanship, according to a new poll released Thursday, Israel Radio reported.

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With Ayalon receiving 37.8 percent, and Barak 36 percent, both candidates are nearing the 40 percent required to avoid a second round run-off election between the two.

The poll, conducted by Shvakim Panorama, shows increasing support for the two leading candidates, as support for the remaining three candidates, who are not considered to have a realistic chance of winning, continues to decline.

This trend is expected to grow as it becomes clearer that the election is likely to be decided in the first round.

The other three candidates ? Labor Chairman Amir Peretz, MK Ophir Pines-Paz, and MK Danny Yatom - are receiving only 21.5 percent, according to the poll, with another 4.7 percent of Labor voters still undecided.

Pines-Paz is polling in third place with 11.2 percent of the vote, followed by Peretz with 7.3 percent, and Yatom with 3 percent.

Should there be a second round, the poll found 52 percent of Labor members would vote for Ayalon, compared to only 40.4 percent for Barak.

The results depend in large part on voter turnout, and the poll found that 75 percent of Labor members intend to cast their ballots. A large voter turnout will increase the chances of a second round, according to the pollsters.