Kadima, the party that barely received the most votes in the national election but has a slim chance of forming a coalition, held a victory bash for its activists Tuesday, but the atmosphere was not very jubilant.
One of the speakers, outgoing Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, spoke in favor of the idea of an agreement between Likud and Kadima for rotation in the prime minister’s office.
Kadima leader Tzipi Livni still claimed she should be chosen to form the next government coalition and was less than enthusiastic about rotation. “The journey has begun, because we have a path that will not be made to disappear in a government of paralysis, and we will not be bought with positions and words because we have the path,” she told a crowd of thousands in Tel Aviv.
Likud Knesset Member Gilad Erdan chided Livni’s victory speech, commenting that “D.J. Tzipi is welcome to keep on playing songs at psychedelic parties, but the person who will put together the government is Binyamin Netanyhau who was elected by a majority of the public.” Livni closed out her campaign with appearances at Discotheques.
Meanwhile, Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu told the Russian-language TV channel that a rotation deal would be hideous.
“I think that what we need is a government with unity of purpose and unity of leadership, and this is very hard to do," he said. In a rotation government you can have conflicts. Each one is looking at the other one. You have two heads. Try to imagine a creature with two heads: one wants to go this way and the other wants to go the other way. If you want to make a change there needs to be a single command center. One head. One policy. This policy can come about when I am Prime Minister.”
He added, “I am certain that with a unified leadership, with a wide government – I want a government that is as wide as possible, but with one head, one policy – we will succeed.”
Netanyahu said that he does not know which party, if any, Yisrael Beiteinu will recommend to President Shimon Peres to appoint to form the government. He stated that he is “leaving it to them to announce.”
President Shimon Peres will receive the leaders of Likud and Kadima in his residence Wednesday evening, after he receives the formal election results. He is due to meet with Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman Thursday morning.