Kadima Party Election Underway in Israel

Voting was underway Wednesday in Israel to elect the new leader of the Kadima Party to replace resigning Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

The winner of the contest, likely to be either Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni or Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, will have 42 days to rebuild a ruling coalition in Israel’s parliament. If that can’t be done, general elections would be called, The New York Times reported.

Olmert will resign in the wake of a criminal investigation into his financial dealings but has vowed to stay on as a caretaker prime minister until his successor is named. This week he has been urging his Kadima Party successor to continue negotiations with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on a peace deal.

Livni cast her vote Wednesday in Tel Aviv, while Mofaz voted in Kfar Saba, The Jerusalem Post said. Some 70,000 Kadima Party members are eligible to vote in the election, and analysts told the Post that Livni, who wants to continue full-speed-ahead with the Palestinian negotiations, would be hurt by a low turn-out.

Supporters of the more right-wing Mofaz were considered more motivated and likely to turn out in higher numbers, the newspaper said.