President Katsav concerned
Photo: Yoav Galai
Poll: 53% want new government system
President Katsav says criticism against system of government, lack of stability, constitute serious threat to Israeli democracy
A committee established by President Moshe Katsav found dissatisfaction among the Israeli public at the way the government is run, with half of Israelis saying they want a new system of government.
"The criticism against the system of government, its lack of stability, and the negative image of its leadership – could be the main factor threatening democracy, more than ever," said Katsav. The president was addressing the Committee for Examining the Government and Elections in Israel.
The committee, made up of seventy members, was established on the initiative of Katsav, and met in Tel Aviv for a conference, which heard representatives of parties for a forum on the system of government.
Katsav told the committee that a law should be passed to impose order "on the internal life of parties," and emphasized that parties must protect the national interest ahead of all other interests.
Committee members, headed by Hebrew University President Professor Menachem Magidor, heard the results of a poll by the Center for Empowering the citizen – a public nonprofit organization – showing that 55 percent of the general public in Israel is not satisfied with the political leadership, and that only 17 percent said they were satisfied.
Some 53 percent of people said they believed the way in which the political leadership was elected should change, while 60 percent said that politicians today are worse than their counterparts in the past.
According to the poll, half of Israelis would want to see a change in the system of government, and 51 percent of those would rather see a combination of electing local representatives to the Knesset and nationally elected Knesset members.
