Ehud Olmert
Ehud OlmertYonatan Zindel

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday evening that he has not yet decided when to announce whether he will run in the next election.

“No deadline that was reported in the media regarding my declaration of intentions was true,” Olmert said at a conference at Tel Aviv University, according to Channel 2 News. Previous reports indicated he would announce his decision at the conference.

He then proceeded to attack the present government, led by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, saying, “My government acted, unlike this 'all talk' government. On the practical side, this government needs much improvement. It knows about talking, but a little less about doing.”

Earlier on Monday, Channel 2 reported, Olmert received the results of a poll on his possible return to politics, and he is expected to make his decision based on that poll.

Olmert has been under pressure, especially by members of the Kadima party which he headed, to come back and run in the January elections. Polls have indicated that Kadima is headed for a significant downfall in the elections. Most of the party’s current MKs, who will likely not be a part of the next Knesset, are convinced that only Olmert's return to the party could give it a significant achievement.

Olmert was given a relatively light sentence for his conviction on charges of breach of trust and is not legally prohibited from returning to politics. However, the prosecution has announced that it plans to appeal the sentence.

The former Prime Minister also still faces charges of bribery in the Holyland apartment project, re-zoned for construction when he was mayor of Jerusalem. That case is currently being heard in court.