Each of the 120 MKs who stepped into the voting booth placed on the Knesset plenum's floor on Tuesday to elect the next president of Israel had to follow his or her conscience and vote according to their independent opinion. They had to set aside their respective party leaders' instructions, disregard narrow political considerations, and not let their personal relationship with any of the candidates sway their vote. The only consideration before the MKs had to be this: Who is the candidate whose background, public record, character and integrity could best serve the office of the president? They also had to ask themselves which candidate has the ability to redeem the presidency and restore the office to its past glory. It is no coincidence that the first Knesset ruled that the presidential vote would be an anonymous one. This is one of those rare decisions for which MKs are not made to answer by their constituents. The secret vote is meant to allow MKs a fully independent vote, free of political pressures, threats and benefits. I fail to understand why most party leaders went to such great lengths to announce that they would afford their MKs a free vote. Those statements were redundant, as one would expect an elected public official to vote on such a matter according to both common sense and his or her conscience. The responsibility MKs shouldered in Tuesday's vote was considerable, as their decision will determine the presidency's character for the next seven years. The last few weeks have seen the presidency become the focus of a boisterous smear campaign, with claims that the office of the president is obsolete and redundant, that it is time to do away with it, and that it is not worth the millions of shekels appropriated to its activities. I wholeheartedly disagree. I believe there is a rightful place for the office of the president in Israel, but only if it is headed by a worthy individual, one who stands above the rest in terms of character and integrity and embodies the true values of morals and ethics, and who has a love of mankind and an honest desire to bridge the gaps in Israeli society. The president must shy away from politics and be everyone's president, regardless of whether they are Jewish, Arab, Circassian, Bedouin, a Russian immigrant or an Ethiopian one; and regardless of whether they live in Tel Aviv, Afula, Kfar Saba or Eilat. Ordinary folk should be proud to hang the president's picture in businesses and public venues, and they should feel proud to have the opportunity to shake his hand. The scandals clouding the presidential race have had a hugely detrimental effect on the presidency's status. I cannot recall any other presidential election where those vying to become Israel's No. 1 citizen were mired in such dirty politics. Past races were conducted in a civilized manner and were devoid of mudslinging and mutual recrimination. The next president's first mission will undoubtedly be to rehabilitate the presidency's damaged standing. This will not be an easy task, but it can be done -- especially if the next president, who will officially assume office in July, follows the path of former presidents who have been able to garner the public's respect and affection, such as fifth President Yitzhak Navon, sixth President Chaim Herzog, and current President Shimon Peres. Once he or she is elected, the next president must ask the Knesset to form a special public committee -- headed by a retired justice or another prominent public figure -- to review the burning questions regarding the office of the president and decide on its future nature, scope of activities, whether acting MKs should be allowed to vie for the presidency, and whether or not the president should be elected by the public.
It may very well be time to revise the Basic Law: The President of the State.
