2007 Israeli Presidential Election

Under Israel's parliamentary system, the president serves as head of state while the prime minister heads the government.[1] The Knesset elects the president for a seven-year term, and the office is largely ceremonial.[1][2] The 2007 election was held by secret ballot. After Peres fell short of a majority in the first round, his rivals withdrew and the Knesset held a for-or-against vote on the sole remaining candidate.[3][4]

The election occurred while incumbent President Moshe Katsav was temporarily unable to perform his duties amid grave criminal allegations. On 23 January 2007, the attorney general recommended indicting Katsav, subject to a hearing, on suspected sex offenses; Katsav subsequently requested temporary incapacity, and Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik served as acting president.[1][5] A June plea bargain provided for lesser sexual-offense charges, a suspended sentence, and damages; the State Department reported that two rape charges were dropped and that women's-rights and government-transparency groups protested the agreement.[1][6] Katsav resigned at the end of June, leaving Itzik as acting president until Peres took office.[1][6]

Three candidates contested the election. Shimon Peres ran as the nominee of Kadima, the party he had joined after leaving Labor in 2005.[7] Before the election, Peres served as vice prime minister and minister for the development of the Negev and Galilee. By 2007, he had served 48 consecutive years in the Knesset — longer than any other Israeli legislator — after first being elected in 1959.[8][9]

Peres officially announced his candidacy on 30 May 2007 at a Kadima faction meeting, following months of deliberations and consultations.[10] He said he had accepted after being approached by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Knesset members, and Israelis from different backgrounds, describing the bid as possibly his "last contribution to the State." Olmert called him "the natural choice."[10] Before the vote, Kadima, Shas, and the Gil Pensioners faction publicly declared support for Peres.[3]

Reuven Rivlin, a former Knesset speaker, ran as the Likud candidate, with announced backing from Likud, Israel Beiteinu, and the National Union–National Religious Party.[3] Colette Avital, a Labor Party member, became the first woman to stand as a candidate for the Israeli presidency. Labor and Hadash announced support for her.[3] It was Peres's second presidential campaign: he had unexpectedly lost the 2000 election to Katsav.[11]

The Knesset convened on 13 June 2007 to conduct the presidential election by secret ballot — described as the only Knesset vote conducted in that manner.[3] In the first round, Peres received 58 votes, Rivlin 37, and Avital 21.[4] The secrecy of the ballot facilitated cross-party voting: some Labor members did not vote for Avital, while some lawmakers who had pledged support for Rivlin instead voted for Peres.[3]

After the first-round tally, Rivlin and Avital withdrew and called on Knesset members to support Peres.[4] With Peres as the sole remaining candidate, 86 members voted in his favor, 23 against, and eight abstained; two ballots were invalid and one member was absent.[12][4] Peres was declared Israel's ninth president.

After the result, Peres said, "The president does not deal in politics or partisanship; he represents what unites us."[4] He called the outcome a demonstration of unity and democracy and thanked Olmert, Kadima, Rivlin, and Avital. Avital described her candidacy as a "historic moment for women everywhere."[3]

Peres took office in mid-July 2007 as Israel's ninth president, beginning a seven-year term.[2][13] On 4 July, before the inauguration, Prime Minister Olmert named Haim Ramon vice premier to replace Peres in that government role.[1] Peres remained president until July 2014.[8]

His election marked the first time in Israel's history that a former prime minister had been elected president.[7] Reflecting on the largely ceremonial office, Peres said, "The president does not have a lot of power, but he has the authority to do good deeds and to express enthusiastic faith."[11] He also described his intended role as that of a "great unifier of Israel's fractured society."[3]

In his inaugural address, Peres identified priorities including strengthening Jerusalem as a center of learning, developing the Negev and Galilee, promoting cooperation with Israel's neighbors, and deepening relations between Israel and the Jewish Diaspora.[14]

Sources differ on several dates and descriptions associated with the transition. The Congressional Research Service records Katsav's resignation as 30 June 2007, while the State Department's human-rights report gives 29 June.[1][6] Election-specific sources state that Peres was chosen for a seven-year term,[1][2] whereas the State Department's October 2007 general background page describes the presidential term as five years.[15]

The accession date also varies. The World Jewish Congress says Peres was sworn in on 16 July 2007,[14] while Ynetnews and My Jewish Learning give 15 July.[13][12] These discrepancies do not affect the principal facts of the election or its outcome.