Barak to resign, call for special election
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Monday, December 11, 2000
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Ehud Barak has decided to resign as prime
minister and hold special elections for the post within 60 days.
Barak said his decision is meant to avoid what he called an unnecessary
election campaign during military tensions with the Palestinians. He said
he would meet with President Moshe Katsav on Sunday and submit his
resignation.
From that point, Barak has 48 hours to change his mind.
"I don't see any reason to drag the country into an unnecessary
election," Barak said in a national address on late Saturday. "Israel is in
a state of emergency."
Barak, 58, had been urged to resign and run for prime minister in an
attempt
to stop any challenge from former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu, who lost in the 1999 race, leads Barak in recent polls.
Israeli law stipulates that only a Knesset member can run in an election
for prime minister. Netanyahu resigned last year and has not announced his
return to politics.
Political analysts said Barak prefers to face Likud chairman Ariel
Sharon, who intends to run for prime minister. They said Barak was stunned
by weekend polls, which showed Barak being trounced by Netanyahu.
In contrast, Barak trails slightly behind Sharon in recent polls.
Barak did not rule out that he would complete a peace treaty with the
Palestinians in the remaining weeks until the elections. But the analysts
said this would probably not be achieved.
Instead, the analysts as well as several key parliamentarians said Barak
had quietly reached a deal with Sharon that whoever wins the race would take
the other as his deputy.
"I am sure that there is [this agreement] -- silently," Hanan Krystal
said.
Sharon was quick to deny any agreement with Barak. "We did not
coordinate this," Sharon said on Sunday.
Opposition parties said they would proceed with their intention to
dissolve the Knesset, and thus hold elections for parliament as well.
Parliament is expected to vote on the issue on Monday.
Monday, December 11, 2000
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