Jerusalem ? Appearing in public for the first time since he suffered a mild stroke, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon left the hospital Tuesday, saying he is eager to get back on the job.

Sharon appeared somewhat pale but otherwise unchanged as he met reporters with a smile before leaving Hadassah Hospital.

“Now I must quickly get back to work and move forward,” Sharon said in a pun on the name of his centrist party, Kadima, which means forward.

Doctors said the stroke had not caused any damage, but questions remained about whether it had hurt Sharon’s prospects for re-election March 28, and whether the 77-year-old prime minister is fit to lead Israel for another term in office.

Kadima, formed last month by Sharon after he left the rightist Likud Party, has based its appeal entirely on Sharon’s leadership, and his illness made it appear vulnerable.

Yet polls published in Israeli newspapers Tuesday showed continued strong support for Kadima. Ninety-one percent of those questioned said Sharon’s stroke would not influence their vote.