Next political step: Government reshuffle
Following justice minister's conviction, Prime Minister's Office preparing for tough decisions on ministerial posts
It's no secret that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his associates expected Ramon to be found innocent. As such, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni had been appointed to serve temporarily in the capacity of acting justice minister, during the trial.
Olmert now has two alternatives. He can let Livni complete her three months as acting minister and grant her a temporary extension of another three months. Such a decision requires faith that Ramon will win an appeal.
On the other hand, the prime minister can began a reorganization of ministerial portfolios and relieve Livni of the justice ministry, replacing her with a permanent minister. One possible replacement is Olmert's trusted associate Interior Minister Ronnie Bar-On.
Musical chairs
Of course, if Olmert chooses to appoint Bar-On, he'll have to find a replacement Interior Minister. It is then possible that the Labor party will demand the portfolio.
A senior official in Olmert's office said the prime minister is unwilling to give the sensitive post to the Labor Party. Olmert prefers that the interior ministry remain in Kadima hands, because of its power over local authorities.
If he is able to keep the interior ministry in close reach, Olmert will need to appoint one of the existing Kadima ministers to the post, requiring further reorganization within the government.
In addition to the political musical chairs, there are also new appointments to be considered. Among them are the Welfare Ministry, which Olmert may give to the Labor party, as per their request, and the post of chairman of the Knesset's Finance Committee, which is weighed as a ministerial post.
Israel Our Home is vying for such a position, as is Shas. Currently, Shas, with 12 Knesset seats, holds four ministerial positions, whereas Israel Our Home, with 11 seats, holds only one.
As such, it is likely that Israel Hasson (Israel Our Home) will receive a ministerial post. Nonetheless, it appears that Party Chairman Avigdor Lieberman will still ask Olmert to grant Israel Our Home the chairmanship of the Finance Committee.
It is also possible that certain posts will receive extra responsibilities. For example, an existing minister may be given the role of Minister in charge of combating anti-Semitism.
At this time, according to aides to Olmert, the prime minister does not into to fight with Defense Minister Amir Peretz over his post.
