Yacimovich wins Labor primary lead, vetoes coalition with Likud

Shelli Yacimovich and her camp walked off with the top places on the opposition Labor’s new slate in the primary vote held Tuesday. This was a slap in the face for party chairman Yitzhak Herzog and his alliance with Hatnuah leader Tzipi Livni. The activists that Yacimovich brought into the party, before she herself was ousted from the party leadership by Herzog, won three slots in the top five – Stav Shafir, Itzik Shmuli and Omer Bar-Lev. Party veteran and rival for top spot Eytan Kabel dropped to 10th ranking. The new list was dominated by female candidates.
DEBKAfile’s political analysts add: Yacimovich boasts a “social democratic” orientation – contrary to the Herzog-Livni’s centrist tendencies and eye on partnering Likud in government. The first statement she made after her win was opposition to Labor joining a coalition with Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud.