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| ELECTING CHANGE | |
 May 17, 1999 
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 MARGARET
WARNER: The voting places had barely closed tonight when Israeli Television
reported their exit polls, indicating that Labor Party Candidate Ehud
Barak had won the prime minister's job with a sweeping 57 percent to 58
percent of the vote.
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| Who is Ehud Barak? | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The 57-year-old Barak, one-time chief of Israel's defense
Then yesterday, two others withdrew: Ultra-nationalist legislator Benny
Begin, son of the late Prime Minister Turnout was heavy, after one of the hardest-fought campaigns in Israel's history. It's only the country's second direct election for prime minister. The candidates engaged in what observers viewed as an American-style war of words and images, using American political consultants to produce ads and spin issues to Israel's 4.3 million eligible voters. Israelis also elected a new 120-seat parliament, choosing among more than 30 different parties. |
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Cheering
broke out at Barak's headquarters, though Barak himself wouldn't claim
victory until the final count was in. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
however, appeared at his headquarters to concede defeat. In a surprising
move, he also resigned his leadership of the Likud Party. Later tonight,
crowds thronged Rabin Square in downtown Tel Aviv to celebrate. 
forces,
is the most decorated officer in the country's history. He's portrayed
himself as heir to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated
in 1995. The divisive five-month campaign for Israel's top job began
last December when Netanyahu's coalition government collapsed, in part
over differences over the outcome of the October Israeli-
Palestinian
peace talks at the Wye Plantation in Eastern Maryland. Netanyahu faced
four major challengers, and since a winner must gain an outright majority,
many observers expected a runoff election in June. But in the final
days of the campaign, three long-shot candidates unexpectedly pulled
out of the race. 
Last
Friday, it was Israel's first-ever Arab candidate for prime minister,
42-year-old Azmi Bishara, who had run, he said, to give Israel's one
million Arab citizens a greater voice in their country's politics. 
Menachim
Begin, and former Likud Party member, now head of the center party,
Yitzhak Mordechai. Mordechai was fired as defense minister by Netanyahu
earlier this year, and was bidding for the support of other disenchanted
members of the prime minister's party. The three withdrawals ensured
a head- to-head contest today, dashing Netanyahu's hopes for a runoff.