Shinui on verge of split

Centrist party in turmoil after Chairman Lapid barely reelected, number two Poraz ousted; mass departure underway, senior sources tell Ynet more than half of faction may split, keep Shinui name

Sharon Roffe-Ofir |Last update: 01.12.06 , 23:31

Winds of change: Shinui is on the verge of a split, after Chairman Yosef Lapid was barely reelected as leader of his centrist party, while the perennial number two figure in the movement, Avraham Poraz, lost his place and said he would leave the party.

Following the shocking results, several leading Shinui Knesset members announced they are withdrawing their primaries candidacy, as the party's future is increasing shrouded in doubt. Lapid and Poraz, were scheduled to meet Thursday night to decide on their next moves, but the meeting was canceled.

Senior Shinui officials told Ynet that a contingency plan to split the party has been prepared in case the party's leadership was defeated. According to the scheme, Lapid and Poraz would convince another six Shinui members to join them, thus splitting the faction but keeping the brand name "Shinui."

By law, if more than half the faction quits, it can keep its name and use it to compete in the elections.

Lapid defeated leadership rival Yitzhak Gilad, a largely unknown party figure and a soap opera producer, by only 25 votes.

Lapid received 87 votes, barely eclipsing the required 50 percent mark, while Gilad won the support of 62 voters (39 percent). Another 16 Shinui members abstained in the primaries.

Shiuni's old guard faced another shock in the primaries, when Knesset Member Avraham Poraz, who has been number two on the party's list until Thursday's elections, suffered an unexpected defeat to candidate Ron Levintal, losing the contest for second place.

Poraz's associates told Ynet earlier that if Poraz loses, he will have to decide whether to join another party or quit political life altogether. Later, Poraz's close associates said he will indeed leave Shinui.

Lapid: We'll work to strengthen Shinui

Sources at Lapid's camp were quick to defend the outcome, saying the margin between the two candidates was not small, and that it proved Shinui was a democratic party.

Lapid himself stated, upon his election, that "the flow of voters to Kadima will stop, and we'll work together so that Shinui regains its power." Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called Lapid to congratulate him on the win.

However, Shinui Council member Icky Elner said Thursday that the primaries' results are "an unequivocal vote of no confidence in Lapid," adding that the chairman's aggressive behavior contributed to this.

"The candidate who competed against Lapid is so unfamiliar in the council, that some people feel a scarecrow could have received the same results. The outcome proves Lapid is not everyone's leader, and that he should go home," Elner said.

"If anything could save the party, it would be Lapid's departure," he stated.

Pessimism in party

The primaries Thursday took place amid polls predicting the party's demise in upcoming parliamentary elections, and it appears that the candidates themselves have come to terms with the situation.

Notably, Shinui won an impressive 15 seats in the previous elections and became Israel's third-largest party.

"The only gimmick I can pull out of the hat at the moment is to have Lapid hospitalized and if I go into a coma," Knesset Member Avraham Poraz said sarcastically.

Poraz also commented on the large number of candidates for the party's list, and said that "the situation where so many people compete over so few seats is very sad."