Could Amir Peretz Be The Next Prime Minister?
There is indeed a shot in hell.
Haaretz reports,
Labor is attempting to form a coalition with Shas, United Torah Judaism, Meretz, the Pensioners’ Party and either the Likud or National Union-NRP, with outside support from the Arab parties.
Party sources deny accusations that they had vowed not to sit in a government with right-wing parties, saying they only guaranteed to avoid cooperation with Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party.
Labor officials recommended to Katsav on Sunday that he ask Peretz to form the next government, instead of the Kadima leader, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Traditionally, the leader of the party that wins the most seats in the elections is invited to form the government. But, Labor officials argued that the largest party had for the first time failed to win more than 30 seats, and that Peretz has a better chance of assembling a coalition.
Full story.
[Update] Scratch that.
Chas v’Shalom
Labor+Shas+UTJ+Likud or NU-NRP?
weird. what exactly would such a gov’t be able to agree upon? (other than wanting to have power)
sounds pretty disfunctional.
and I hadn’t noticed that Kadima was short of coalition options
Ironic that someone named “amechad” doesn’t want to see Peretz as prime minister…
(Anyway, Peretz continues to deny these rumors.)