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Reuven Rivlin Elected Israel’s President, Will Succeed Shimon Peres

Reuven Rivlin Elected Israel’s President, Will Succeed Shimon Peres

By Batsheva Sobelman, Los Angeles Times

JERUSALEM — At the end of a tense vote that capped one of the country’s messiest political campaigns, Reuven Rivlin was chosen Tuesday to serve as Israel’s next president.

Rivlin, 74, was elected in Jerusalem by members of Israel’s 120-seat parliament to succeed the iconic Shimon Peres, who will be stepping down next month at the end of his seven-year term, just before his 91st birthday.

A veteran politician and former speaker of the Knesset, Rivlin was one of five final contenders, the largest number of candidates ever to run for the largely ceremonial yet influential position.

The presidency is open to any Israeli citizen residing in the country, but a candidate must first secure the signatures of 10 lawmakers to run. The signatures are public but elections are confidential, leaving room for surprises.

After no candidate secured the majority of 61 votes required to win in one round, a second vote was held between the two candidates with the most ballots: Rivlin and Meir Shetrit, two of the longest serving lawmakers in the house.

Rivlin, who defeated Shetrit 63 to 53, will resign from parliament and assume the presidency in July. He will be Israel’s 10th president.

Political events in Israel are usually festive but the process offered little cause for celebration in recent weeks, as the campaign got messier by the minute with political intrigues and police investigations.

Early on, allegations of sexual misconduct against one candidate, Silvan Shalom, were not enough to trigger a criminal case but killed his candidacy.

Then came reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was seeking to postpone elections and possibly abolish the post altogether.

Another candidate, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, was felled by an 11th-hour police investigation into alleged financial misconduct, sending him home and prompting the remaining candidates to disclose their finances — raising further questions.

“Skeletons burst out of candidates’ closets and began dancing in the town square,” Hebrew University political scientist Yaron Ezrahi said in a media interview.

Photo via Li Rui/Xinhua/Zuma Press/MCT

Israel Sets June Date To Elect President Shimon Peres’ Successor

Israel Sets June Date To Elect President Shimon Peres’ Successor

By Batsheva Sobelman, Los Angeles Times

JERUSALEM — Israel’s presidential election will be held June 10, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein announced Monday, putting an end to uncertainty about the future of the important though largely ceremonial position.

Candidates have just over a week to qualify by securing the signatures of 10 lawmakers backing their candidacy, kicking off an intense scramble to garner the necessary political support.

President Shimon Peres, perhaps Israel’s most iconic living public figure, will step down in July, shortly before his 91st birthday.

Among those vying to fill his shoes are several veteran politicians, including two lawmakers who have already obtained the required signatures: Reuven Rivlin and Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.

Despite calls for change, presidents are elected by the 120 members of the Knesset, or parliament, and thus tend to be politicians. There are some nonpolitical candidates this time around, including former Supreme Court Judge Dalia Dorner, Nobel Chemistry Prize laureate Dan Shechtman and Yosef Abramowitz, a U.S.-born renewable energy entrepreneur.

So far, the campaign has been marred by both anonymous smears as well as reported attempts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to postpone the election and possibly abolish the position altogether.

In his announcement, Speaker Edelstein expressed regret that the race has been “muddied by slander and de-legitimization” and urged candidates to conduct themselves with “decency, morality and integrity.”

The hand-over of the presidency, which has crowned Peres’ decades-long public service, is still two months away. However, he has already received one farewell gift: the Euroleague basketball title.

Peres called Maccabi Tel Aviv coach David Blatt moments after a dramatic win Sunday night to congratulate him on the title. Blatt said winning the cup was the team’s “going-away present” for Peres.

Photo: Maxnathans via Flickr