Livni clinches Kadima leadership by just 431 votes

By JPOSTLEO GIOSUÈCOM STAFF, GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN, AP
livni votes 224 88 (photo credit: AP [file])
livni votes 224 88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Despite repeated threats to the contrary, Shas chairman Eli Yishai hinted Thursday that the party would remain in a Tzipi Livni-led coalition even if child welfare allowances aren't given, provided that the Treasury agrees to some sort of assistance for the weaker segments of society. "She must provide answers to poverty. We won't give up on our ideals, whether you call them [child] allowances, assistance, subsidies or grants to families with children. The name doesn't interest me," Yishai told Army Radio. Livni clinched Wednesday night's Kadima primary by a mere 431 votes, winning 43.1 percent (16,936 votes) while Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz won 42% (16,535 votes). Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit won 6.5% and 8.5% respectively. Yishai called Livni Thursday morning to congratulate her, saying that "the most important thing to do is to act, not to talk." Shas spokesman Roi Lachmanovitch said the party would not join a Livni-led government if the future of Jerusalem is discussed with the Palestinian Authority. "If it becomes clear that Jerusalem is on the negotiating table ... then we won't be part of the coalition," he said. Livni was expected to meet Thursday morning with the Kadima leadership rivals she defeated in Wednesday night's primary and she was later set to hold talks with current coalition partners to convince them to remain in the government. Labor appears likely to stay in the coalition, preferring to prevent the strengthening of Likud, Army Radio reported. Nevertheless, Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon, the cabinet minister closest to Labor chairman Ehud Barak, called for elections. "Let's go to elections and let the people choose their prime minister," he said. "It cannot be that so few people will decide who the prime minister of Israel will be. I welcome Livni's victory but Labor will prefer elections," said Simhon overnight Wednesday, following Livni's win. Mofaz aides said that he accepted the primary result, despite his lawyers' advice to launch an appeal due to alleged irregularities. One of the lawyers, Yehuda Weinstein, complained about three issues: The extension of the voting time by 30 minutes, the disqualification of a Rahat ballot and the fact that media outlets began publishing exit polls 15 minutes before the ballots closed. Mofaz, however, called Livni on Thursday morning to congratulate her for winning the primary. The night's drama ended not with a bang but with a whimper, as Israel Radio reporters described an anticlimactic scene of janitors cleaning garbage and clearing away chairs at the Tel Aviv venue where media outlets eagerly awaited, in vain, to hear the primary winner making a victory speech. When Livni finally made her speech, at 6:15 a.m., she opted for a short, humble statement, emphasizing the need for unity within the party and the country and reiterating her commitment to a different political atmosphere. "We have proven there are different politics here. People have engulfed me in love and it doesn't matter if they are Kadima members or not - these are the people standing behind this decision. The national responsibility bestowed by the public brings me to approach this job with great reverence," Livni said. "For me, Avi [Dichter] and Shaul [Mofaz] were rivals for a moment," she said. "The national mission is to bring about stability quickly. This is not only my responsibility, but also the responsibility of my colleagues in Kadima. I thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who voted." In several polling stations, like Beit Jan in the North, Livni crushed Mofaz, after polls conducted in Arab towns predicted the exact opposite result. In Rahat, a ballot was disqualified after a man tore it up and scattered the envelopes. The ballot contained 430 votes. In theory, if every single person there voted for Mofaz, Livni would have won by a single vote. "We cannot have our prime minister chosen by one vote only," Mofaz's lawyer Weinstein told Israel Radio, referring to the Rahat incident. Kadima MK Ruhama Avraham-Balila, who rallied for Mofaz, told Kadima members in one of the polling stations that "this is not the end of the story." Earlier in the evening, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called Livni to congratulate her on her victory and offer her his full support. Olmert is expected to honor his pledge and resign as prime minister in the next few days. But Livni's supporters urged him to suspend himself immediately and thus enable the new Kadima leader to formally begin the process of building a new coalition right away. Some sources said Olmert would tender his resignation to President Shimon Peres after Sunday's cabinet meeting. "Olmert must leave as soon as possible, for his own good and the good of the nation," a source close to Livni said. Livni called her campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv to declare victory and thank her staff. "You fought like lions...you were terrific," she said. "The good guys won. I know that you did it because you wanted to live in a better place, and we will." Sources close to Livni said she would immediately begin efforts to form a new government as soon as possible. "If the politicians decide the good of country is of utmost importance, a new government will be formed," Livni adviser Eyal Arad said. "If they decide politics is most important, we will go to elections and win them." Meretz chairman Haim Oron hinted that his party could join a Livni government if she gave the public clear answers on key issues. Likud officials reiterated there was no chance it would join. Two hours before the ballot boxes were closed, Livni's headquarters asked Kadima's election committee to postpone the closing time due to the low turnout. The committee extended it by half an hour despite Mofaz's protest. The final voter turnout ended up exceeding 50 percent. Mofaz made a point of not reacting to the exit poll at his Givatayim headquarters. He thanked his campaign staff and went to his Kochav Yair home to wait for the official results. When the results were announced, Dichter's campaign staff at his Tel Aviv headquarters reacted with a shrug. They said they were not disappointed by the results and expressed optimism that Dichter will do better in future races. "This is more or less what we expected," Dichter's spokeswoman said. "This is the beginning of his political career and not the end. This is his first race, but definitely not his last. It is just a small part of his journey to the highest post that the people of Israel will allow him to rise to." Dichter said, "This is my first race, certainly not my last, and I expect the party leadership to build the party, not just for the sake of Kadima, but for the sake of Israel." Sheetrit conceded, praised Livni and thanked his supporters in a speech at his headquarters in Tel Aviv. "Livni is facing many critical challenges on security and socioeconomic issues," Sheetrit said. "I hope that Livni will succeed in forming a strong government and restoring the public's faith in Kadima." Palestinian Authority Information Minister Riad Malki was hopeful that peace talks could succeed under Livni's leadership. "We welcome the results of the election, and we are going to deal with any new prime minister in Israel," he told The Associated Press. "We hope this new prime minister will be ready to ... reach a peace deal with the Palestinians that ends the occupation and allows the establishment of an independent Palestinian state living beside Israel." Shelly Paz, Tovah Lazaroff, Abe Selig and Lianne Merkur contributed to this report.