- Title: ISRAEL: ISRAELI PRESIDENT EZER WEIZMAN WINS SECOND TERM IN OFFICE
- Date: 4th March 1998
- Summary: JERUSALEM (MARCH 4, 1998) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV EXTERIORS ISRAELI KNESSET 0.05 2. PAN INTERIORS KNESSET 0.15 3. SV ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU VOTING 0.25 4. SV FORMER LABOUR PRIME MINISTER SHIMON PERES VOTING 0.33 5. SV NETANYAHU AND LIKUD PARTY CANDIDATE SHAUL AMOR TOGETHER 0.36 6. SV OPPOSITION LEADER EHUD BARAK VOTING 7. SV AMOR VOTING 0.45 8. LV OF KNESSET 0.48 9. SV/MCU SPEAKING TO MEDIA/NETANYAHU SAYING THIS IS A TRIUMPH. A TRIUMPH FOR ISRAELI DEMOCRACY. WE HAVE A DECISION OF THE PEOPLE AS REPRESENTED BY THE KNESSET VOTE. WE HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT AND A GOOD ONE AND ONE THAT I AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL WILL WORK WITH AND HE WILL WORK WITH ME(ENGLISH) (2 SHOTS) 1.13 10. MCU OPPOSITION LEADER EHUD BARAK SAYING THAT IN A WAY SOMEHOW NETANYAHU HE MADE SOMETHING UNPRECEDENTED IN ISRAEL BY BEING INVOLVED SO DEEPLY IN THIS ELECTION AND IT IS CLEAR THAT MANY OF HIS COALITION MEMBERS OF THE KNESSET VOTED AGAINST HIS RECOMMENDATION (ENGLISH) 1.34 11. DEFEATED PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE SHAUL AMOR SURROUNDED BY CAMERAS 12. SV/MCU AMOR SAYING IT WAS A VERY GOOD FIGHT. NOW I'M GOING HOME TO SEE MY WIFE AND CHILDREN. I DON'T KNOW. THANK YOU (ENGLISH) (2 SHOTS) 1.57 13. LV EXTERIORS OF PRESIDENT'S RESIDENCE 2.00 14. SV NEWLY RE-ELECTED ISRAELI PRESIDENT EZER WEIZMAN ARRIVING AS CROWD APPLAUDS (2 SHOTS) 2.09 15. MCU WITH WIFE REHUMA AT HIS SIDE, SAYING WINSTON CHURCHILL USED TO SAY ONE IS A MAJORITY. I AM VERY PLEASED - TO BE QUITE FRANK I AM HAPPY - AND WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, ALL SIX MILLION OF THEM, EVEN THOUGH THEY COULDN'T VOTE AND I'D LIKE TO THANK THE KNESSET (ENGLISH) 2.33 16. SV WEIZMAN AND GUESTS DRINKING CHAMPAGNE AS TOAST (3 SHOTS) 3.03 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 19th March 1998 12:00
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- Location: JERUSALEM
- City:
- Country: Israel
- Reuters ID: LVA30FO9H5H0PA519VT1LVSO4IM5
- Story Text: Israel's maverick President Ezer Weizman has beaten off a dark-horse challenger backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to win a second term in office.
Weizman, whose shoot-from-the-lip style has won him friends on the street but made him enemies in high places, rode to a comfortable victory in the secret parliamentary ballot on Wednesday (March 4).
His triumph by 63 votes to 49 with seven abstentions was wider than many political commentators had forecast.Some had said Weizman's sharp tongue might even talk him out of the job.
The contest for the largely ceremonial post was spiced up by Netanyahu's endorsement of Shaul Amor, a backbencher from the Prime Minister's Likud Party, and a virtual unknown outside the northern town of Migdal Ha'emerk where he has been mayor for 20 years.
Despite backing the loser Netanyahu described the election of Weizman as "a triumph for democracy" and said he was someone he could work with.
However Netanyahu's opponents were quick to brand the outcome a defeat for the Prime Minister, who has crossed swords with the dovish Weizman over the course of Middle East peacemaking.
Opposition Labour leader Ehud Barak said Netanyahu's involvement in the election had been unprecedented.
The defeated Amor described the election as "a good fight" - he was now going home to his wife and children.
Weizman, a former fighter pilot who went on to help forge Israel's landmark 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, will be sworn in to a new five-year term on May 18.
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