Israeli PM might resign in early October: report
17/9/2008 17:22
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has decided not to submit his
resignation until late September or early October, breaking his promise to
resign as soon as his successor is chosen, local daily The Jerusalem Post
reported today.
Israeli political analyst Yaron Deckel told local TV Channel
1 that Olmert wanted to officially inform his ministers of this decision at
Sunday's cabinet meeting, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Olmert would
tender his resignation letter to President Shimon Peres after the latter returns
from the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 28, said the report.
As the
following day is the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year's Day, which would
be an inappropriate day for politics, the first possible date for Olmert to
submit the letter would be October 2, it added.
Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev
refused to comment on the report, yet reiterated that Olmert would keep his
promise to resign after the ruling Kadima party chooses its new chairman to
succeed Olmert.
The leading contenders in the race, Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, said yesterday they did not
intend to rush Olmert out of the Prime Minister's Office, said the
newspaper.
By law, once Olmert resigns, he will become caretaker prime
minister and remain in power till a new government is formed, a task expected to
be assigned to his successor, which would take from weeks to months. Should the
cabinet-making efforts fail, early general elections would be held, possibly in
the spring.
Both frontrunners also denied reports that they intended to ask
Olmert to declare himself incapable of governing and suspend himself to allow
one of them to become prime minister without forming a new government, the
report said.
Olmert's associates have rejected any possibility of suspension,
stressing that he would remain caretaker premier until a new coalition is
formed, even if this would only happen after a general election.
Livni and
Mofaz have both vowed to form a new government as soon as possible. Mofaz said
earlier this week that he would set up a coalition before Rosh
Hashana.
Xinhua
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