Knesset Member Meir Sheetrit on Tuesday surprised the Israeli political world as he surged to the 2nd place in the first round out of the five candidates running for president to succeed Shimon Peres.
Out of 117 qualified votes, the frontrunner, Likud figure and former Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, came in first place with 44 votes, Sheetrit in second place with 31 votes and another former Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik with 28 votes.
Former judge Dalia Dorner got 13 votes, while professor Dan Shechtman received only one vote.
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein announced that two ballots were disqualified for duplicate ballots. There were no blank ballots.
Rivlin’s support of 44 MKs is less than he was expecting in the first round. A candidate is elected at the first round if he garners a majority of at least 61 votes. The momentum has now shifted towards Sheetrit as the top two face each other in a 2nd round. The candidate who will gain the most votes will be declared president.
Who is Reuven Rivlin ?
A veteran Likud MK, he was first elected to the Knesset in 1988. He was Minister of Communications in 2001-2003 and served as Speaker of the Knesset from 2003-2006 and 2009-2013.
He stood against Shimon Peres in the 2007 presidential elections.
Considered an independent minded MK
Rivlin is considered a staunch defender of Israeli democracy. Although he personally opposes the two state solution, he has said he would not intervene in the decisions of Israel’s elected , he is an advocate of the two-state solution.
Who is Meir Sheetrit ?
Elected as a Likud MK in 1981, Sheetrit has held numerous offices, including Minister of Finance, Minister of Justice and Minister of Transportation.
Sheetrit was one of a number of Likud members who defected with Ariel Sharon to form the centrist Kadima in 2005, and in 2012 he worked with Tzipi Livni to set up Hatnua.