Peretz: Barak can no longer run the Labor party alone

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Just days after the Labor party suffered its worst defeat in its history, MK Amir Peretz, who was formerly the leader of the party before being ousted following the Second Lebanon War, said that the current chairman of the party, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, should step down. "Barak cannot continue to manage the party alone," he said during an interview on Channel 2 Saturday evening, adding that the party "needs to sit in the Opposition. Period." Labor received 13 mandates in Tuesday's election, making it the fourth largest party in Israel, but falling far short of the 16 to 20 seats it had hoped for. Barak, following the defeat, said that the party would likely not join the new coalition.