2008 Kadima leadership election
17 September 2008
Turnout53.7%
 
Candidate Tzipi Livni Shaul Mofaz
Party Kadima Kadima
Popular vote 16,936 16,505
Percentage 43.06% 41.96%
 
Candidate Meir Sheetrit Avi Dichter
Party Kadima Kadima
Popular vote 3,327 2,563
Percentage 8.46% 6.52%
Kadima leader before election

Ehud Olmert

 Kadima leader

Tzipi Livni

An election for the leadership of Kadima was held on 17 September 2008 as a concession to Kadima's coalition partner, Labour, which had threatened to bring down the government if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert didn't stand aside following police investigations into alleged corruption during his terms as minister and as mayor of Jerusalem.

As Kadima remained the largest party in the Knesset and the coalition, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the designated new leader after balloting, had the chance to form a government without a need for elections.[1]

The election was the party's first official leadership election.[2] Previously, in 2006, there had been a leadership vote, but it was for interim leader.[3][4]

Candidates

Campaign

On 28 July 2008 Livni announced that she would challenge Prime Minister Olmert for party leadership. Olmert was being politically dragged down by corruption investigations. Livni argued that the party had been misled under Olmert's leadership[5] On 30 July Olmert announced that he had against seeking reelection as party leader and prime minister.[6]

The two front-runners throughout the campaign consistently remained Mofaz and Livni, with Livni always holding a consistent lead in the polls.[7]

While both frontrunners supported a two-state solution,[8][9] Mofaz attacked Livni for wanting to divide Jerusalem in a final peace deal with the Palestinians,[10] and claimed that his military experience would make him a more qualified Prime Minister.[11][12] Livni and her supporters claimed that a vote for Mofaz is the same as a vote for the Likud due to Mofaz's hawkish and more right-wing positions. Livni also enjoyed a "clean" reputation, being seen as having honesty and integrity, and being free from corruption allegations.[13] Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert remained neutral in the primary, but was alleged to privately favor Mofaz.[14]

Results

Exit polls released after the poll indicated a double-digit victory for Livni.[15] The actual vote count turned out much closer, amid very low turnout, with Shaul Mofaz coming within a few hundred votes of winning an unexpected victory over Livni.[16] Supporters of Mofaz called for a recount but Mofaz rejected any legal challenge of the declared result and called Livni to congratulate her on her victory, as did Sheetrit and Dichter.[17]

CandidateVotes%
Tzipi Livni16,93643.06
Shaul Mofaz16,50541.96
Meir Sheetrit3,3278.46
Avi Dichter2,5636.52
Total39,331100.00
Source: BBC News, Ynet

Aftermath

After Mofaz's loss, he announced that he would be taking a break from politics and leaving the government and Knesset. However, he would remain a member of Kadima.[18] Soon after, however, he rescinded his statement,[19][20] and went on to win the 2nd place in Kadima's Knesset list for the 2009 election.[21] In a rematch in 2012, he won the leadership,[22] and in the 2013 election led the party to a stunning collapse, winning 2 seats.[23]

After her election, Livni failed to form a governing coalition, having failed to reach an agreement with Shas. Subsequently Knesset elections were held on 10 February 2009.[24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Khalil, Ashraf; Sobelman, Batsheva (2008-09-18). "A new leader for Kadima". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ↑ Kershner, Isabel; Bowley, Graham (30 July 2008). "Olmert to resign after September vote". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  3. ↑ "Acting Israeli leader to head Sharon's party". The New York Times. 16 January 2006. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  4. ↑ "Kadima picks Olmert as interim chief". Al Jazeera. 16 January 2006. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  5. ↑ Fisher-Ilan, Allyn (28 July 2008). "Livni says Kadima lost way under Olmert". Reuters. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  6. ↑ Kershner, Isabel (31 July 2008). "Olmert to Quit After Elections in September". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ "Mofaz, Barak gang up on Livni". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  8. ↑ "2007 World Economic Forum session on the Middle East (Davos) Session summary". United Nations. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  9. ↑ "Political Statements on a Two-State Solution to Resolve the Arab (Palestinian)-Israeli Conflict, 1937–Present". CIE. 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  10. ↑ "Mofaz accuses Livni of dividing J'lem". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  11. ↑ Kadmon, Sima (2008-08-06). "Shaul Mofaz: Full frontal". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  12. ↑ מועלם, מזל (2008-07-30). "מופז: "אסור לאולמרט וללבני להגיע להכרעה עם הרשות עד לפריימריז"". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  13. ↑ "Israel's Mrs. Clean - TIME". Time. 2008-06-12. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  14. ↑ "Olmert May Quit and Name Mofaz as PM To Weaken Livni". Israel National News. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  15. ↑ Tim Butcher (2008-09-17). "Israel: Tzipi Livni wins Kadima vote to become new PM". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  16. ↑ "Livni to lead Israel ruling party". BBC News. 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  17. ↑ Staff writer (2008-09-18). "Mofaz activists: We'll demand a recount". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 2011-09-17. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  18. ↑ Meranda, Amnon (2008-09-18). "Mofaz Says will Take Break from Politics". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  19. ↑ "חוזר לפוליטיקה? מופז ישוב בקרוב מחופשתו - וואלה! חדשות". וואלה! (in Hebrew). 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  20. ↑ "מופז חוזר למשחק". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  21. ↑ "בחירות 2009 - פריימריז בקדימה: מזכ"ל העבודה איתן כבל: כתמי הרשימה נמצאים על בגדי לבני". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  22. ↑ אזולאי, אטילה שומפלבי ומורן (2012-03-27). "שאול מופז בנאום הניצחון: ציפי, מקומך איתנו". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  23. ↑ הדר, ירון דרוקמן ושירי (2013-01-23). "אין עתיד בקדימה: המפלגה שאיבדה את מצביעיה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  24. ↑ דרוקמן, ירון (2019-10-21). "כמו פרס ולבני: נתניהו הוא השלישי שמחזיר את המנדט". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-05-01.
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