For outgoing Kadima Party Tzipi Livni leader perhaps the message is clear, that her vibrant anti-chareidi campaign did not lead to her successful bid to hold on to the party leadership. Not only was she ousted by Shaul Mofaz, but he took the race with by sizable margin of 62% to her 38%.
Mofaz, a defector from Likud, expressed his confidence that together with the new Kadima which he plans to build, they will oust Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from office. He reminded voters of his vast experience in defense matters as a former IDF chief of staff and defense minister, and vowed to continue serving the Jewish people and Israel by rehabilitating the party and taking the next general election.
Interestingly, only about 45% of the party’s 95,000 registered members bothered to cast their vote in the party leadership race.
Livni issued a statement to the media at about 01:00 congratulating Mofaz on his victory, declining to respond to questions.
Mofaz becomes the party’s fourth leader, following party founder Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
It is interesting that both Kadimah and Labor chose the least anti-religious candidate running. It also might suggest that Kadimah is reverting back to the Likud-spliter it started as, with the left-wingers likely to join Shelly Yachimovich in Labor. It would also not be shocking the Labor, Likud and Kadimah to work together, much to the detriment of the religious, anti-religious, Arab and ultra-nationalist parties.