Israeli political crisis defused
25/06/2008 12:49  - (SA)  

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Jerusalem - Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert's coalition survived its most serious crisis to date on Wednesday, after the opposition decided to withdraw a motion calling for dissolving the Knesset, once it became clear the bill would not receive the necessary majority.

Israel Radio reported that the bill, submitted by opposition legislator Silvan Shalom, was pulled from the agenda after Olmert's senior coalition partner, the Labour Party, said it would not support it, despite prior promises.

The motion was to have come before the Plenum early on Wednesday afternoon, but is unlikely to have passed without the support of the 19 Labour Party legislators. Had it been adopted, it would have set in motion early elections.

Labour's about-face came after Olmert agreed late on Tuesday night to a Labour demand to set a date for his Kadima party to hold primaries to choose a new leader.

Olmert had threatened to fire any minister who supported the bill, but the Labour Party leader, Defence Minister Ehud Barak, had refused to withdraw his support for the motion.

But the agreement late on Tuesday night between Labour Party Secretary-General Eitan Cabal and senior Kadima legislator Tzahi Hanegbi appears to have defused the crisis.

Primaries for new leader

Under the agreement, Kadima promises to convene a committee on Wednesday to set in motion primaries for choosing a new leader.

On Monday next week, the Kadima faction will discuss the results, and 10 days later the Kadima council will convene to determine an exact date for primary elections, to be held before September 25.

Barak precipitated the current crisis on May 28, when he demanded that Olmert remove himself from the day-to-day running of the country, arguing that a prime minister under investigation for alleged corruption could not give his full attention to the many problems facing the country.

Olmert is suspected of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from an American businessman. He has not yet been indicted and the investigation is continuing.

Barak demanded that Olmert's Kadima party appoint a new leader, or else he would work for early elections.

Olmert refused to step down. He did, under pressure, authorise leadership primaries, but no date had been set for them. - Sapa-dpa

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