BICOM

Israel Labour Party members are to vote today in an election run off to choose the new leader of their party. The two remaining candidates are former prominent journalist Shelly Yachimovich and former defence minister and Histadrut labour federation leader Amir Peretz. Approximately 66,000 Labour Party members are eligible to vote. Pollsters have found it difficult to predict the result. In the first round, polls indicated a much higher level of support for Yachimovich than she actually obtained. Her electoral support base is in the large cities and the kibbutzim (co-operative villages), while Peretz maintains his base in development towns and among Arab voters.

During her campaign Yachimovich has emphasised Labour’s social democratic domestic policies, while avoiding focus on diplomatic and foreign affairs issues. Peretz, however, followed a more traditional approach, with a focus on Labour’s dovish policies regarding the peace process. Some analysts believe that Labour under Yachimovich could achieve electoral gains by stressing social affairs, in light of the recent mass protests calling for ‘social justice.’