Kadima Party leaders have decided to hold primaries in mid September, with officials signaling they do not expect Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to compete in the party leadership race. Nevertheless, Olmert has not revealed his intentions and there are those who believe he will indeed be bold enough to run for the party’s top slot.

A recent poll of party members revealed that Olmert would earn 30% of the vote in a primary race despite the damaging evidence against him in the Talansky affair.

A Ynet repot quoting some senior officials in Kadima whom are close to Olmert predicting he will find a way to step down in a dignified fashion and then retire from politics.

In a related matter, Kadima official Tzachi Hanegbi on Thursday will submit a proposal to amend the party’s charter as required, to accommodate the upcoming primaries.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)