As aides to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over the weekend called on Kadima governing board members to vote to amend the party’s charter to permit primary elections, some Kadima officials are threatening to vote no-confidence to topple the coalition if need be, the daily Haaretz reports.

Olmert is determined to remain in office for as long as possible and he does appear undeterred by the increase in the calls for his resignation as police continue building cases of widespread corruption against him. The prime minister is brazenly working to undermine the party’s efforts towards ousting him from his leadership position, and he appears to be tenacious in efforts to extend his tenure for as long as possible despite the serious allegations against him.

As of Friday, only 75 of the party’s 108 governing board members voted, and a minimum of 91 is required to enable the primaries in mid-September as the prime minister promised would be the case.

Kadima MKs are angered that the governing board members are not voting, delaying the ratification of the primaries, which in essence will oust Olmert. Making matters worse from the party’s perspective, Olmert has not yet announced that he will not run in the party’s leadership race, with polls placing him at the forefront, ahead of Tzipi Livni should he opt to announce his candidacy for reelection.

Aides to the prime minister deny accusations that he is intentionally sabotaging the election, explaining it is not Olmert’s fault that members of the governing board are not voting as they should.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)