Ours in Jerusalem: Tzipi Livni to be Israeli Prime Minister

• 18.09.2008, 10:30

Acting Foreign Minister of Israel Tsipi Livni is to become a new Prime Minister. According to preliminary data, a daughter of an emigrant from Belarus received 48 per cent of the votes at the election of a new Kadima governing party.

Her nearest opponent, Minister of Transportation Shaul Mofaz got 37 per cent of the votes. To win the first voting, a candidate must get at least 40 per cent of the votes.

After the voting, Kadima leader should win support of the coalition parties and form a cabinet of ministers within 42 days. Kadima has 29 mandates, so Livni will have talks with other big parliamentary parties. If she doesn’t form a coalition, early parliamentary election may be announced, and the acting government headed by Olmert may regain power, having received a status of transitional.

Olmert is involved in a number of corruption scandals, he didn’t run in primaries, and promised to surrender powers to a winner. It is unknown when he will retire, many politicians and journalists think is happens no sooner than in a month.

It’s worth noting that Tsipi Livni is the second female prime minister of Israel. By the way, the first woman prime minister Golda Meir was born in Kyiv, but spent her childhood in Pinsk.