Jerusalem
19 September 2008
There is political turmoil in Israel after the ruling party elected a
new leader. Robert Berger reports from the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.
A
day after she was elected leader of Israel's ruling Kadima party,
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni reminded Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert that he had promised to step down.
"We have a country to run," Livni told party members, "and we don't have a lot of time to fool around."
Mr.
Olmert had promised to resign over a corruption scandal as soon as
Kadima chose a new leader. But unless he takes a leave of absence,
Israeli law requires him to stay on as caretaker prime minister until
Livni forms a new government. That could take about two months and it
is not a done deal.
The right-wing ultra-Orthodox Shas party,
a current coalition member, is reluctant to join Livni because it
opposes her plans to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians that
would include relinquishing parts of Jerusalem.
Zalman Shoval of
the opposition Likud party says Livni also faces unrest in her Kadima
party because she defeated hawkish former army chief Shaul Mofaz by
just one percentage point.
"Her task will be very difficult
because as it turned out, 50 percent more or less of her own party
didn't support her in these primary elections," he said. "So she
will try to set up a government, but it looks [like] she'll have to
overcome quite serious obstacles."
If Livni fails to form a new government there would be early elections next year, probably in March.
Prime
Minister Olmert could remain in office until then, giving him more time
to try and reshape his legacy: He would rather be remembered as the
Israeli leader who made peace with the Palestinians than the one who
resigned over a corruption scandal.