MKs battle for place on parties' rosters
Veteran Likud politicians fear new stars to cause their removal from party's Knesset list. Kadima waiting to hear whether Mofaz will accept Livni’s proposal to head election campaign
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s requisition trip for his party’s list has been worrisome to some of the Likud’s veteran Knesset members.
Those who served in the opposition with Netanyahu expressed their discontentment on Monday regarding the, “new stars” in the movement.
Their main fear is that these new installments will push the veteran MKs further down the list.
One of the Likud’s senior officials expressed his fear that two or three of the serving MKs are in danger of being entirely removed from the roster.
According to him, “this requisition trip has crossed all boundaries.”
Another MK in the party said, “There is suddenly a battle between the stars and the faithful, who for the past three years have been in the movement during its hardest days.”
Netanyahu promised during the factional meeting at the Knesset, that additional people who will join the movement and refresh the Likud’s Knesset roster.
Kadima waiting for Mofaz
In the meantime, Kadima is awaiting a decision by Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz pertaining to the offer made by Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni last week to appoint him as chairman of the party’s campaign.
Mofaz’s response-to-be is still unclear but in the last few days, his associates have mentioned that his inclination is to decline the offer.
In its last meeting, the Kadima faction confirmed the proposal made by Minister Jacob Edery to allow Mofaz to be the sole runner for number two on the party list.
Kadima MKs and ministers are inclined to approve the proposal and it will be brought before the party council this Thursday.
There are those in the party who suppose that Mofaz is waiting to see whether the council will approve the proposal and only afterwards, he will reply to Livni’s offer.
Coming soon: Livni’s stars
Similar to the Likud, new figures will join Kadima and run for a place on the Knesset roster.The party is also preparing itself for an election campaign and in the factional meeting, Livni already began marking the direction she plans on taking when she attacked the inclusion of clearly right-wingers to the Likud.
Livni emphasized that the battle is not only between the two party heads, her and Netanyahu, but rather between two different paths.
Senior Kadima officials and Livni associates said that in the next few days, she will relay a message to the public that Kadima is not a center-left party but rather a centrist one.
Within the party, fears have stirred regarding a brutal attack by the Likud that Livni’s willingness to conduct negotiations with the Palestinians will harm their efforts to win.
Labor: Is Ben-Eliezer a sure in?
What about the Labor Party? As usual, while Kadima and the Likud are exuding an atmosphere of renewal and optimism, the Labor is dealing with internal struggles regarding the uncertainty surrounding the formation of the party roster.Senior labor officials estimate that Chairman Ehud Barak will bring a proposal before the party council to secure the place of Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer on the next Knesset’s roster.
Those opposing the proposal have already begun signing council members on conducting a secret ballot, which they believe will make it difficult to secure Ben-Eliezers’ place on the list.
Arabs dissatisfied
Meanwhile, representatives of the minority districts; youth and neighborhood representatives, are angry and demand higher placement on the roster ranks and to be in the top-ten.
Representative of the Arab district, Science, Culture and Sport Minister Raleb Majadele, relayed a message on Monday at a conference on active members in the Arab sector, threatening that the Labor needs to decide how it plans to deal with the sector representatives and how they treat them.
During the conference, there was discussion on creating a new Arab party which will unify possible withdrawers from the Labor and other parties.
MK Shakib Shanan (Labor) also said that he is weighing whether or not to stay in the Labor party but expressed his doubts regarding the seriousness of a new Arab roster and its ability to succeed in the elections.
Meretz is also on shaky ground. Senior party MKs expressed their fear regarding a clause in the party constitution determining that the serving MKs must win at least 60% of the votes in the primaries in order to participate on the list.
Party sources mentioned however, that if the MKs work as one bloc, they will be successful in sustaining the conditions brought forth in the constitution. Meretz sources also estimate that no amendments will be made to the constitution in order to make things easier for the reigning MKs.
