Who is running for president of the State of Israel?
The race will be held in May or June, likely with a new Knesset.
By GIL HOFFMANChairman of the Labor party Amir Peretz seen during a press conference with Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz and party members in Tel Aviv on March 12, 2020.(photo credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)
Labor leader Amir Peretz intends to run for president of Israel in an election set to take place in May or June, apparently in a new Knesset, he said Thursday.In an interview with Army Radio, Peretz said he was fit for the role because of his ability to bring about dialogue among all sectors in Israeli society.The other officially announced candidates are former Likud MK Yehudah Glick and former Labor Party minister Shimon Shetreet. Others who are considering running include Jewish Agency chairman Isaac Herzog, whose father, Chaim Herzog, was president; Israel Prize-winning educator Miriam Peretz (no relation to Amir); and singer Yehoram Gaon.There has been speculation that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could decide to seek the presidency if he does not form the next government, joining Shimon Peres as the only men who will have been both prime minister and president.Becoming president would automatically freeze Netanyahu’s criminal trial for the seven years he would be in office and provide a new official residence for him and his family.A trial balloon was raised that if Blue and White leader Benny Gantz agrees to give up on a rotation in the Prime Minister’s Office, all the parties in the current coalition would support him for president, and Knesset elections would not be initiated.By law, a new president must be elected between 30 and 90 days before the current president’s seven-year term ends. Rivlin’s tenure will end on July 24.The Knesset speaker and his deputies set the date, which must be at least three weeks after its announcement. The deadline for any citizen to announce his or her candidacy is two weeks before the election. To run, a candidate must submit the signatures of 10 supporters among the 120 MKs.The speaker must announce the list of candidates at least a week before the election in the Knesset. To win, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of 61 MKs in a secret-ballot vote. If no candidate receives a majority in a first round of voting, another round is held with the top two finishers from the first round participating in the runoff. A third round would be held if the two candidates finished in a tie.Because the race is held by secret ballot, it is one of the few votes in the Knesset that does not go by party lines.
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