Mofaz effect? Lost to Livni
Photo: Yaron Brener
The Knesset on Wednesday approved a bill prohibiting the publication of polls during the four days prior to any primary election. The bill constitutes a fine of NIS 67,300 (about $17,700).
Primary Elections
Attila Somfalvi
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
The proposal was initiated by Knesset Members Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor), Tzachi Hangebi (Kadima), Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) and Yuli Edelstein (Likud).
It was submitted a few months ago, and legislative procedure was spurred after Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni's victory over her opponent, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz.
The polls on the Kadima primaries showed a landslide victory for Livni, but on election eve she won by just a small margin.
The Knesset's Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee chairman, MK Menachem Ben-Sasson (Kadima), said following the bill's approval that "we cannot completely control the pre-election flow of information, but it's important to try to allow the public to form an opinion in the days before the elections, without a poll swaying that opinion."
The new law is scheduled to take effect during the next few days, thus it will affect the primaries held by the different parties in preparation for the nationwide vote in February.