Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed on Wednesday night to allow the winner of September's Kadima primary to form a new government and immediately replace him.
After three days of negotiations with Olmert and the party's four leadership candidates - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit - the five ministers agreed that whoever wins the primary will automatically become the Kadima candidate for prime minister in the next general election.
The ministers were worried that Olmert would try to stay in power after the primary, and would insist on holding another primary ahead of the next general election.
The candidates agreed that the primary would be held between September 14 and 18, and if a runoff is needed between the top two finishers that it would take place no later than September 25.
Olmert's associates said he had agreed to the deal because it guaranteed that in the likely scenario that the victor in the primary was unable to form a government, Olmert would remain prime minister until the next general election, which would likely not take place until March of 2009.
Despite the agreement, the dates will not be officially confirmed at the Kadima council meeting at the party's Petah Tikva headquarters on Thursday night. Olmert will not attend the meeting but the four candidates to replace him are all expected to speak at the event.
The proposal is expected to pass by a wide margin, because Olmert and all of the leadership candidates support it. While it does not block Olmert from running in the race, it does not make it easier for him to run, either.
The proposal that will be voted on also received the endorsement of Labor Party secretary-general Eitan Cabel. The Labor executive committee will meet in Tel Aviv before the Kadima council gets together. Labor chairman Ehud Barak is expected to address the situation in Kadima at his party's meeting. 07/10/08
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