If the Israeli public were assigned the task of forming the new government, it is likely that Israel Our Home would have been part of it, while Shas members would have been forced to watch the ministers' seats from a distance.
| Forming Government |
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| Coalition game gets under way / Ronny Sofer |
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Coalition countdown starts Thursday: President Katsav tasks Kadima's Ehud Olmert with forming new governing coalition; Olmert must present new government within 28 days; Kadima wants 84-member coalition |
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A new Globes-Smith poll conducted by pollster Rafi Smith revealed Thursday evening that almost half of the public (49 percent) would like to see Avigdor Lieberman's party as part of Ehud Olmert's new coalition, compared to 31 percent who prefer Shas.
Among Kadima supporters, 55 percent prefer Lieberman and only 22 percent want Shas, while 38 percent of Labor Party supporters would like to see Shas in the government and 33 percent prefer Lieberman.
While Labor Chairman Amir Peretz is still considering which senior portfolio he should take, 37 percent of the general public would like Shaul Mofaz to remain as defense minister, and only 8 percent prefer to see Peretz fill the job. Some 22 percent mentioned former Shin Bet Chief Ami Ayalon (Labor) and 16 percent mentioned former Shin Bet Chief Avi Dichter (Kadima).
Among Kadima voters, Mofaz has the strong support of more than 46 percent of respondents, while 28 percent prefer to see Ami Ayalon in the Defense Ministry and only 19 percent favor Avi Dichter. Not one of the respondents mentioned Peretz.
Among Labor supporters, Mofaz and Peretz received a similar level of support – 22 percent, while Ami Ayalon wins the battle on the defense portfolio with 40 percent.
The majority of the public (52 percent) believe that if Peretz accepts the defense portfolio he would be violating his promise to handle social-economic issues, but 60 percent of Labor voters agree with the claim that he would be able to deal with these issues also as defense minister and that it would not constitute a violation of his promise to the voters.
Finance portfolio: Kadima voters prefer Braverman
When asked "which of the following people would you prefer to see as finance minister," 35 of the respondents said they favor Professor Avishay Braverman (Labor), 20 prefer favor Peretz, 22 percent would like to see Meir Sheetrit (Kadima) as finance minister, and only 6 percent prefer Abraham Hirchson (Kadima), who was mentioned last week as a "leading candidate for the role."
Among Labor voters, 49 percent prefer to see Braverman as finance minister and 40 percent favor Peretz. Even among Kadima voters Braverman takes the lead with 34 percent, while Sheetrit is supported by 32 percent, Peretz gets 14 percent and Hirchson is favored by 12 percent.
The majority of the public (62 percent) support an economic policy that will not reduce taxes but will increase its expenses in the areas of health, welfare and education. Only 27 percent support a continued reduction of cut in taxes and minimizing the government's expenses.
Another major portfolio at the center of a public dispute is the post of education minister. Among the general public, 42 percent of respondents want to see the role assigned to Professor Yuli Tamir (Labor), 23 percent prefer Professor Uriel Reichman (Kadima), 13 percent mentioned Meir Sheetrit and 6 percent said they favor Amir Peretz.
Among Kadima voters, 43 percent prefer Reichman and 42 percent favor Tamir. Among Labor voters, 74 prefer Tamir and only 14 percent mentioned Reichman.
Tzipi Livni takes the lead as candidate for foreign minister, among voters of all parties. Some 59 percent of the public prefer Livni, while only 15 percent mentioned former Likud MK Dan Meridor, 9 percent said they favor Isaac Herzog (Labor) and 3 percent prefer to see Amir Peretz as foreign minister. Among Labor voters, 68 percent would like to see Livni continue as foreign minister.
The Globes-Smith poll was conducted on April 5 2006 among 401 respondents who constitute a representative sample of the adult population in Israel. The sampling error was 5 percent.
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