Peretz expected to split Labor party if he loses to Yachimovich

Former Labor leader and Defense Minister Amir Peretz might split the Labor Party if he loses to MK Shelly Yachimovich in the runoff elections for party chairmanship set for next week, Israel Hayom has learned.

Peretz, who won 31 percent of the vote compared to Yachimovich's 32% after Monday's first round of voting, is reportedly laying the groundwork for a defection along with four other Labor MKs, who together constitute a majority of Labor's eight Knesset members.

According to the law, if a majority of a Knesset faction splinters from a party, it holds onto the official party name and institutions. This would effectively make Peretz Labor chairman. However, it is unclear whether Peretz has the necessary following in the Labor Knesset faction to successfully complete the move. He currently has backing from only three Knesset members -- MKs Daniel Ben Simon, Raleb Majadale and Eitan Cabel -- out of a total of eight Labor MKs.

Peretz denied reports Monday of a possible Labor split. “We will honor any democratic decision and we will stay in the party even if we lose,” he said.

If Peretz and his three supporters choose to split from the party even without the necessary fifth MK, they could still create a new Knesset faction, but they would not be allowed to hold onto the Labor Party title and its institutions.

Labor MK Isaac (Buji) Herzog, who had a strong third place showing in Monday's first round of voting, is trying to avert a split in the party, and has refused to endorse any candidate, hoping he could serve as a bridge between the warring factions once the voting is over.

Peretz and Yachimovich on Monday met with Herzog and with former Labor leader Amram Mitzna, who came in a distant fourth in the first round of voting. Yachimovich called Mitzna an “asset for the party” and said she held him in high regard, citing his credentials on “security and social issues and in his work in local government.” Mitzna has been widely praised for revitalizing the town of Yeruham, long considered a struggling periphery town, during his tenure as the town's caretaker mayor, which ended last year. Yachimovich called on Mitzna supporters to head to the polls on Sept. 21 and vote for her.

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