Many politicians start their campaigns with a catchy slogan – but Knesset
Speaker Reuven Rivlin launched his run in the Likud primary by asking the public
for advice.
Rivlin took to his Facebook page to poll supporters, giving
them options: “Rivlin – Faithful to his principles, faithful to people,” “Rivlin
– Believe in Israel, love Jerusalem,” “Rivlin – our Knesset speaker,” and
others.
In an interview with
The Jerusalem Post to be published on
Friday, the Knesset speaker expressed confidence that he will maintain his high
slot on the Likud candidates list in the November 25 primary, and hold his
position as speaker for a third term. He was No. 4 on the Likud’s candidates
list in the last election in 2009.
Rivlin, 73, said that “although people
my age are afraid of new technology, it is important to learn to take advantage
of the Internet, which helps deepen democratic discourse.”
“The Internet
improved the direct connection between voters and representatives, and it is
amazing to see how different candidates run election campaigns based almost
entirely on social media and direct contact with voters,” he said.
Rivlin
does not run his own Facebook page, but his staff updates him on comments he
receives from supporters.
As Knesset speaker, he supported the opening of
an official Knesset Facebook page and the recent re-launch of the Knesset
website.
The Knesset speaker is not the first Likud lawmaker to
crowd-source his primary slogan. Ofer Maoz, a spokesman for MK Tzipi Hotovely,
also took suggestions for the campaign on his Facebook page.
Several
other Likud legislators have used Facebook for creative
campaigns.
Government Services Minister Michael Eitan, who held a
conference of his Facebook fans in the Knesset last year, posted a series of
Internet meme-style images on his profile.
One showed Batman’s logo and
Eitan’s photo, with the text, “A knight who fights corruption and looks good in
black. It’s not Batman; it’s Miki.”
He also posted his pay slip, saying
that he is the most transparent of the government’s ministers.
From the
day the election was declared, MK Danny Danon, also from Likud, has taken to
Facebook almost daily, posting a different accomplishment on his page each time.
Danon plans to continue the campaign until after the Likud primary.