Israeli Labor Party leadership election, 2007

A leadership election was held on June 12, 2007 to elect a new leader of the Israeli Labor Party, due to internal dissent within the party regarding the image of their leader, Amir Peretz

Candidates

Five candidates ran in the 2007 Israeli Labor Party leadership elections:

• Ehud Barak attempted again to return to politics, this time after the move of Shim'on Peres to Kadima and with Amir Peretz as the Labor Party leader.
• Amikhai ("Ami") Ayalon, who announced that he is going into politics in order to be prime minister, and not just another Knesset member, decided that he has "learned" enough of the system and that he is ready to lead.
• Amir Peretz came to these elections as the current party chairman, and with very low chance of winning after his image had been severely damaged during his term of office in the position of the Labor Party leader and his term of holding the position of the Defense Minister of Israel.
• Ofir Pines-Paz ran in these elections with background of years of high-level activity in the party, which include holding the position of the chairman of the coalition and the position of the chairman of the Yisra'el Akhat parliamentary group during the 15th Knesset, holding the position of the party's secretary-general from 2001 until 2003 and winning the first place in the vote that had been held in 2005 in the party's merkaz for determining the identity of the party's ministers in the coalition with the Likud. In the 2006 Elections for the 17th Knesset he was third in the Labor-Meymad list, after the party leader Amir Perets and Yitskhak Hertsog. He came to these elections after he opposed Amir Perets' decision that the Labor Party will stay in the government and in the coalition after the joining of Yisra'el Beytenu to the coalition and the appointment of Avigdor Liberman to a minister in October 2006. Following the joining of Yisra'el Beytenu to the coalition and the appointment of Avigdor Liberman to a minister Ofir Pines-Paz resigned from the government. He submitted a letter of resignation from the government on October 30, 2006, and his resignation took effect on November 1, 2006.
• Dani Yatom ran in these elections without popularity, without considerable status and without seniority. Some people estimate that Dani Yatom ran in these elections in order to obtain upgrading in his status in the party.

External links

• Labor Party Primary Election (Israel Democracy Institute)