Elections in Israel; Both Likud and Kadima Declare Themselves the Winner
The Jpost reports:
In the hours after television exit polls predicted that Kadima would win the most Knesset seats in Tuesday’s general elections, both Kadima chair and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu claimed that they would be the country’s next prime minister.
Israel has a multiparty system; like many Western countries, one party seldom succeeds in winning a majority of the seats in Parliament. Instead, a coalition has to be formed after every election. This one will be no different.
Which is why both Likud and Kadima can claim their leader will be the country’s next prime minister; it all depends on the other parties. Who can work with who?
As it is, the leader of this year’s third largest party Israel Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, will be kingmaker. If he decides to form an alliance with Likud, Netanyahu will be the next PM. If, however, Lieberman favors Kadima, or is unwilling to work with either party, Kadima’s Tzipi Livni will succeed Ehud Olmert.
The results of this election do matter; even though Kadima is more hawkish than the country’s Labor party, it is far less hawkish and more open to compromise than Likud.
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Lieberman will form a government with the Likud. It’ll be announced within the next few days. Shas was the only thing holding back the coalition, and now Shas has agreed in principal.