Infolive.tv Exclusive - A New Era Of Politics Began As Israel Chooses Its Next Prime Minister

The moment of truth is finally approaching as the Kadima primaries kicked off on Wednesday morning. The leadership of the State of Israel is at stake as only 74,000 registered members of Israel’s leading centrist party will decide who will succeed Ehud Olmert as the next Prime Minister of the Jewish State. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the leading candidate according to the polls, was the first candidate to show up at the voting station, taking advantage of the opportunity to deliver a final appeal to her supporters. But before Tzipi Livni can claim her crown, she must first triumph over her rival candidates, especially Minister of Transportation Shaul Mofaz, who according to recent polls has almost 30% of the vote. Lagging far behind these two rests Meir Sheetrit and Avi Dichter. In the many strongholds of Kadima support in Israel, voter mobilization was clearly visible on Wednesday morning. By mid-day, the turnout was nearly 14%. Infolive.tv traveled to a nearby voting station to speak with some of today’s Kadima party voters. Yet within the Kadima party, the opinions are clearly divided, as one can see by speaking to these two opposing Kadima voters who are also close friends. The military experience of Mofaz on one hand versus the pragmatism of Livni on the other - this seems to be the essential decision confronting Kadima voters. At 10pm tonight the Kadima party’s voting stations will close their doors to voters and the real countdown will then began, as Israelis, Jews and people around the world anxiously await to find out who will be the next Prime Minister of the State of Israel. 09/17/08