Each party is to recommend to the President its choice for the person to be entrusted with the responsibility of forming the next government. Many of the parties have not yet made their choices known, and some have even postponed their meetings with the President until the picture becomes clearer.
Kadima representatives met with Katzav at noon today, and surprised no one by recommending that Acting PM Ehud Olmert of Kadima be chosen for the top spot. Labor recommended Peretz.
In the backdrop are tensions between the two largest parties, Kadima and Labor, over the coalition talks - even though these have not even started. Labor leader Amir Peretz turned down an offer to meet with Olmert over the weekend, saying that he will not meet with Olmert unless he knows exactly the agenda of the meeting. "We don't have spinners the way that Kadima does," Peretz said, complaining that if he were to meet with Olmert, it would be immediately followed by leaks of which portfolios he had demanded.
Political observers say that the barbs traded between the two parties, and the tensions between them, have gone beyond normal pre-coalition negotiation posturing.
A major issue of contention is which senior ministerial portfolio Olmert would offer Peretz, if in fact he forms the government. The Ministry of Finance is Peretz's first choice, but Kadima - and many in the economic community - fear that his generous social-welfare policies are liable to destroy the economy. Peretz also does not speak English, thus ruling out Foreign Affairs. The sole remaining top ministry is Defense, but this is not considered his expertise, nor was security a critical campaign issue for the Labor Party.
Even more basic than which portfolio Olmert will offer Peretz, however, is whether Olmert will get to do any offering at all. The Labor Party delegation that met with President Katzav today recommended that Amir Peretz be chosen. "It turns out that there is more than one way to form a government," Labor Secretary-General MK Eitan Cabel said afterwards. "We plan to form an emergency social coalition, and we ask all the party factions to recommend that Amir Peretz be the next Prime Minister."
Another Labor leader said that the guidelines of a Labor-led government would include the Road Map, an attempt to reach an agreement with the Palestinian Authority, and an emphasis on social issues.
This clashes with Kadima's ideology. Roni Bar-On, a candidate for a Cabinet ministry on behalf of Kadima, said today that his party would insist that a unilateral withdrawal from large parts of Judea and Samaria included in the government guidelines.
Peretz met with extreme left-wing Meretz party leader Yossi Beilin this morning, and the two pledged to cooperate. A merger of the two parties - Labor has 20 MKs, Meretz has 5 - is not on the table at this point in time, but neither of the two leaders ruled it out at a future date. Meretz members have said that they will not join a government with right-wing parties, and say that a Kadima-Labor-Meretz-Pensioners coalition would be ideal, even though it would number only 61 MKs.
The Likud was supposed to meet with Katzav today, but the meeting has been pushed off - apparently because of internal squabbling and lack of decision as to whom to recommend. In the background is brewing unrest regarding the Likud's dismal showing in the elections and the question of whom to blame. Silvan Shalom seems poised to mount a challenge to Binyamin Netanyahu's leadership.
The Likud faction is likely to either recommend the leader of Labor, for the first time in history, as the next Prime Minister, or else - a more likely scenario - not recommend anyone at all.
The Shas faction has not yet decided either, and has postponed its meeting with Katzav. Shas leader Eli Yishai met with Labor's Peretz, who asked him to mention his [Peretz's] name to the President, but Yishai did not commit himself.
Yisrael Beiteinu made its decision only late this afternoon, saying it would not recommend anyone. Party leader Avigdor Lieberman is considering joining with NU/NRP, giving him 20 seats and the chance to be the Opposition Leader. Lieberman is set to meet with Katzav later this afternoon.
The Pensioners announced last week that they would recommend Ehud Olmert. A senior party member told Maariv newspaper that the party was on the verge of making a deal with Ariel Sharon several months ago to field a candidate on the Kadima list. However, Sharon's sudden illness prevented it from being finalized. The Pensioners are scheduled to meet with Katzav tomorrow.
The National Union/NRP said it would recommend Amir Peretz for the post of Prime Minister. The Arab parties are not likely to nominate anyone.
Kadima representatives met with Katzav at noon today, and surprised no one by recommending that Acting PM Ehud Olmert of Kadima be chosen for the top spot. Labor recommended Peretz.
In the backdrop are tensions between the two largest parties, Kadima and Labor, over the coalition talks - even though these have not even started. Labor leader Amir Peretz turned down an offer to meet with Olmert over the weekend, saying that he will not meet with Olmert unless he knows exactly the agenda of the meeting. "We don't have spinners the way that Kadima does," Peretz said, complaining that if he were to meet with Olmert, it would be immediately followed by leaks of which portfolios he had demanded.
Political observers say that the barbs traded between the two parties, and the tensions between them, have gone beyond normal pre-coalition negotiation posturing.
A major issue of contention is which senior ministerial portfolio Olmert would offer Peretz, if in fact he forms the government. The Ministry of Finance is Peretz's first choice, but Kadima - and many in the economic community - fear that his generous social-welfare policies are liable to destroy the economy. Peretz also does not speak English, thus ruling out Foreign Affairs. The sole remaining top ministry is Defense, but this is not considered his expertise, nor was security a critical campaign issue for the Labor Party.
Even more basic than which portfolio Olmert will offer Peretz, however, is whether Olmert will get to do any offering at all. The Labor Party delegation that met with President Katzav today recommended that Amir Peretz be chosen. "It turns out that there is more than one way to form a government," Labor Secretary-General MK Eitan Cabel said afterwards. "We plan to form an emergency social coalition, and we ask all the party factions to recommend that Amir Peretz be the next Prime Minister."
Another Labor leader said that the guidelines of a Labor-led government would include the Road Map, an attempt to reach an agreement with the Palestinian Authority, and an emphasis on social issues.
This clashes with Kadima's ideology. Roni Bar-On, a candidate for a Cabinet ministry on behalf of Kadima, said today that his party would insist that a unilateral withdrawal from large parts of Judea and Samaria included in the government guidelines.
Peretz met with extreme left-wing Meretz party leader Yossi Beilin this morning, and the two pledged to cooperate. A merger of the two parties - Labor has 20 MKs, Meretz has 5 - is not on the table at this point in time, but neither of the two leaders ruled it out at a future date. Meretz members have said that they will not join a government with right-wing parties, and say that a Kadima-Labor-Meretz-Pensioners coalition would be ideal, even though it would number only 61 MKs.
The Likud was supposed to meet with Katzav today, but the meeting has been pushed off - apparently because of internal squabbling and lack of decision as to whom to recommend. In the background is brewing unrest regarding the Likud's dismal showing in the elections and the question of whom to blame. Silvan Shalom seems poised to mount a challenge to Binyamin Netanyahu's leadership.
The Likud faction is likely to either recommend the leader of Labor, for the first time in history, as the next Prime Minister, or else - a more likely scenario - not recommend anyone at all.
The Shas faction has not yet decided either, and has postponed its meeting with Katzav. Shas leader Eli Yishai met with Labor's Peretz, who asked him to mention his [Peretz's] name to the President, but Yishai did not commit himself.
Yisrael Beiteinu made its decision only late this afternoon, saying it would not recommend anyone. Party leader Avigdor Lieberman is considering joining with NU/NRP, giving him 20 seats and the chance to be the Opposition Leader. Lieberman is set to meet with Katzav later this afternoon.
The Pensioners announced last week that they would recommend Ehud Olmert. A senior party member told Maariv newspaper that the party was on the verge of making a deal with Ariel Sharon several months ago to field a candidate on the Kadima list. However, Sharon's sudden illness prevented it from being finalized. The Pensioners are scheduled to meet with Katzav tomorrow.
The National Union/NRP said it would recommend Amir Peretz for the post of Prime Minister. The Arab parties are not likely to nominate anyone.