The low levels of approval for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have broken the national record, according to Dr. Asher Cohen of Bar Ilan University. While other Prime Ministers such as Ehud Barak and Binyamin Netanyahu have also faced public disapproval, their ratings never sunk as low as the recent three percent given to Olmert.
Cohen explained that the exceptionally low ratings may be due to a larger phenomenon. Party loyalty in Israel is decreasing, he said, and Olmert’s Kadima party in particular lacks a strong voter base due to its newness and lack of an ideological platform. Voters have no history of support for Olmert or Kadima, and thus will not hesitate to abandon them when mistakes are made, according to Cohen.
Cohen explained that the exceptionally low ratings may be due to a larger phenomenon. Party loyalty in Israel is decreasing, he said, and Olmert’s Kadima party in particular lacks a strong voter base due to its newness and lack of an ideological platform. Voters have no history of support for Olmert or Kadima, and thus will not hesitate to abandon them when mistakes are made, according to Cohen.