Barak Reconsiders Objection to Ending Direct Premier Election

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is reconsidering his objection to scrapping the current two-ballot vote system and ending the direct election for premiership, Israel Radio reported December 1.

Barak's confidants revealed that the prime minister will no longer reject such a decision to abandon the method and return to the old pure parliamentary system by his Labor Party's central committee, which is scheduled to meet and vote on the issue next week.

Prior to 1992, Israeli voters cast a single ballot for a party, and the leader of the biggest party in the Knesset (parliament) will automatically assume the prime minister's office.

However, after the Basic Law was approved by the government in 1992 and went into effect in the 1996 general elections, voters have to cast one ballot for the parliament and a separate vote for the prime minister.

It was supposed at that time that the new two-vote system will strengthen the power of the prime minister. But to the contrary, it has only increased the sectarianism in the Knesset and produced more small parties, whose only living reason is to gain as many as possible political and economic interests for its narrowed constituents.

Since the adoption of the new system in the 1996 elections, the two governments elected, that of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the incumbent Ehud Barak, have all collapsed well ahead of schedule.

The Knesset Law Committee is set to discuss a proposal, jointly submitted by Justice Minister Yossi Beilin and Uzi Landau of the major opposition Likud party, to cancel the system next week.

Barak had been the only member in his Labor Party still supporting the direct election and tried his best to quell his lawmakers' rebel on the topic until recently.

But analysts pointed out that he has to change his minds when he realizes that in a direct election, he may be heavily defeated by Netanyahu, who now enjoys a widening margin of support against him in recent polls.

Netanyahu, the former Likud leader who is not expected to announce his intention to return to the political limelight until the election date is set, adamantly supports the two-vote system.

But Ariel Sharon, who succeeded Netanyahu as Likud party leader after the 1999 general elections, also wanted to push Likud members to coordinate with the Labor Party for the ending of the direct election system.

Sharon estimated that the one-vote regime will bolster his chances to be elected as the next prime minister, although it is not decided yet who, himself or Netanyahu, will represent the Likud and run for the premiership in the next elections.

Even the Labor and the Likud party join forces in the Knesset vote for canceling the system, the support of their 45 members in the parliament still falls short of the law-required 61 votes. They still need the help from some small parties, who may hesitate to vote for the proposal against their party interests.

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