Election Process
On Feb. 6, Israeli voters will choose a new prime minister. The special
election was set in December, when Ehud Barak suddenly resigned in the
face of a protracted Palestinian uprising and declining popular support.
Just 18 months into his four-year term, Barak announced he would run again
for his seat.
Many expected he would face Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud Party prime
minister Barak had unseated in 1999.
But Israeli law requires that candidates in special elections be active
members of parliament. Since Netanyahu left the Knesset in 1999, he was
ineligible to run. Several members of parliament organized to change the
law to allow Netanyahu to enter the race, but he quietly declined their
offer.
That left Barak to face Ariel Sharon, a hard-line right winger and former
prime minister at the head of the Likud Party who holds a strong lead
over Barak in the polls. In fact, some people had suggested that Barak
pull out of the race, and cede the Labor Party candidacy to former prime
minister Shimon Peres, whom polls suggested had a better chance at beating
Sharon. But Barak let the Feb. 2 deadline for withdrawing pass without
dropping out.
The central political issue shaping the election is relations with the
Palestinians, badly damaged by a protracted clash that has claimed more
than 370 lives in the past four months. A Sharon victory could mean a
virtual end to peace negotiations. Sharon says he will make no territorial
or political concessions to the Palestinians, especially over control
of Jerusalem. Sharon has said that should he win, he would not honor any
peace agreement made before the election.
Barak, more committed to negotiation and compromise with the Palestinian
authority, is expected to resume negotiations should he win the election.
Just a week before the vote, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators released
a joint statement saying they were "closer than ever" to a deal.
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