Mofaz urges party heads to change political system

Kadima MK favors raising electoral threshold, strengthening largest parties, and electing a number of MKs via direct, regional elections.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
Shaul Mofaz 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS)
Shaul Mofaz 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Kadima leadership candidate Shaul Mofaz started acting as if he already headed his party on Tuesday, sending a letter to every party leader – other than Kadima’s Tzipi Livni – asking them to take action to change the political system.
One of Mofaz’s main criticisms of Livni has been that she has not advanced a clear agenda for Kadima during her three years leading the opposition. Mofaz’s associates said advocating changes to the political system was the kind of initiative she should have been taking all along.
“There are many challenges and threats we are facing these days,” Mofaz wrote to the party heads. “We deeply disagree ethically and ideologically about how to handle many of them. But as different as our political outlooks are, if we don’t change our political system, we will condemn ourselves to continue standing in place, wallowing in the political mire, instead of advancing our national interests.”
Mofaz said that now was the time to make changes before the campaign for the next Knesset begins. He said the party leaders had the power in their hands “to bring about an essential historical change.”
“We must guarantee that the next government formed in Israel, whatever its makeup, will have the ability to govern and lead the people of Israel according to the mandate it receives from the voters,” Mofaz said.
Sources close to Mofaz said he endorsed the electoral reform proposals advocated by Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center President Uriel Reichman, which are soon to be promoted in a large campaign that will be headed by former Mossad director Meir Dagan. Mofaz favors raising the electoral threshold, strengthening the largest parties, and electing as many as 60 of the 120 Knesset members via direct, regional elections.
While a majority of MKs in Kadima, Labor and Likud would likely endorse such changes, they would be strongly opposed by Israel Beiteinu, Shas, United Torah Judaism and the Independence Party.