Kadima MKs voted to cancel the party’s primary on Sunday, choosing instead to
form a committee to select its candidates list for the 19th Knesset.
The
decision passed almost unanimously, with only MK Majallie Whbee abstaining from
the vote after vocally opposing the primary’s cancellation, and seven MKs
absent.
Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz explained to the MKs that canceling the
party primary would help them “concentrate our efforts against Netanyahu,” and
promised to present them with the criteria for forming the list.
MK
Ronnie Bar-On proposed that Mofaz head the committee, and that other members of
the panel should not be MKs, while MK Meir Sheetrit suggested that the top five
MKs on Kadima’s list should form the committee.
Bar-On’s idea was
accepted, and Mofaz will appoint two non-MKs to help him choose who will
populate the new list.
A party insider said that Mofaz is likely to
choose Kadima secretary-general Shraga Brosh as one of the two committee
members.
The move still needs to be authorized by the Kadima Council,
which will convene on Thursday, but the Kadima source said Mofaz has been
speaking to central party activists and is not expected to have a problem
finalizing the change. Mofaz will also ask the council to waive the requirement
to bring the cancellation to a vote by all Kadima members.
After the
meeting, Whbee explained that he opposed the selection committee because it is
undemocratic.
“Kadima needs to engage in self-examination and think why
we reached this situation.
We were the largest party in the Knesset, and
look what happened after the leadership race [that Mofaz won],” he
said.
Whbee lamented the unfairness of having to “put [his] head in the
hands of other people” by having a selection committee, whose criteria were not
publicized.
Last week, when the change was under consideration, MK Ze’ev
Bielski said “at this time, a committee is the right thing to do. Elections are
very soon, and we should try to create a better, higherquality list to bring
back our voters.”
Since polls show Kadima shrinking to a third or less of
its current 28 seats, Bielski said the faction must recognize reality and be
prepared to make sacrifices for the good of the party.
Fellow Kadima MK
Yuval Zellner added that “now is not the time for internal wars. We need to be
united to face other parties.”