ISRAEL/JERUSALEM: Israeli President Shimon Peres meets parliamentary factions in effort to form new government after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's resignation

Record ID: 397023

  • Title: ISRAEL/JERUSALEM: Israeli President Shimon Peres meets parliamentary factions in effort to form new government after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's resignation
  • Date: 22nd September 2008
  • Summary: (W2) JERUSALEM (SEPTEMBER 22, 2008) (REUTERS) ISRAEL'S MERETZ-YACHAD PARTY DELEGATION ARRIVING (SOUNDBITE) (English) MERETZ-YACHAD PARTY MEMBER ZAHAVA GALON SAYING: "We are going to recommend on Tzipi Livni. We think that she is the best candidate now to lead the government for an alternative government." MERETZ-YACHAD PARTY MEMBERS ENTERING RESIDENCE
  • Embargoed: 7th October 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA980BOL7PYQYL1BGIVTIMPV9OY
  • Story Text: Israel's Peres holds talks with parliamentary factions in an effort to form a new government after PM Olmert resigns over corruption scandals.
    Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday (September 22) met with parliamentary faction leaders to discuss the formation of a new coalition government a day after the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
    Olmert, who faces criminal indictment in corruption probes, submitted his resignation to Peres on Sunday (September 21), four days after he was replaced by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni as leader of the ruling Kadima party in an internal election.
    Since Olmert's resignation, Peres met representatives of the four largest parties -- Kadima, Labour, Likud and Shas -- and on Monday he began a marathon of talks with the remaining nine factions.
    "The Israel Beitenu faction had consultations amongst the party members and with the head of the party and recommends at this stage to go to early elections," an Israel Beitenu member told Peres.
    The National Union party joined voices from Israel's right and called on Peres to announce early elections.
    "We would like to recommend you to go to elections to allow the nation to take part in determining the formation of its government," a member of the National Union party told Peres.
    Israeli media reported that Peres would most likely nominate a party leader to form the next government on Monday and indicated that Livni was his top choice.
    "(Peres) is meeting with many factions today, and something might change, so I can't say for sure he will choose Tzipi Livni, but that's how it's looking," Peres spokeswoman Ayelet Frish told Army Radio.
    "We are going to recommend on Tzipi Livni, we think that she is the best candidate now to lead the government for an alternative government," Knesset Member from Israel's leftist Meretz party told Reuters Television upon entering Peres' residence.
    Livni met late on Sunday (September 21) with Defence Minister Ehud Barak, who is head of Labour, the second largest parliamentary bloc, to negotiate a possible partnership.
    "It was a good, businesslike meeting," Barak said after the talks, adding that the two would meet again.
    If Livni, Israel's chief negotiator in peace talks with the Palestinians, gets the nod she will have up to 42 days to try to put together a coalition.
    If successful she will become Israel's first woman prime minister since Golda Meir in the 1970s.
    Olmert could stay on as interim prime minister for weeks or even months until a new coalition government is formed or a new parliamentary election held.
    The political uncertainty has dimmed even further prospects of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal which the United States had hoped Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas could achieve this year.
    Failure to build a coalition would lead to an early parliamentary election, otherwise not due until 2010.
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