Israeli parties look to February 10 as election date (Roundup)

Jerusalem - Most Israeli political parties want elections to be held on February 10 next year, Israeli media reports said Tuesday after the factions met with Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik to decide on a date for the new poll. The date however has not officially authorised, and some factions are holding out for another date, the reports added. Israeli President Shimon Peres formally gave the green light Monday for elections to be held when he notified Itzik that his nominee, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, was unable to form a government. Under Israeli law, a majority of lawmakers now have 21 days to present another nominee, but if this does not happen, as is likely, new elections will be held on the last Tuesday within 90 days of the end of those three weeks, or February 10. That date became likely after Livni's ruling Kadima faction pulled a proposed bill which would have set a date for new elections by skipping the 21 day period. Livni was elected leader of the ruling Kadima party in September 17 primaries, held to find a replacement for Ehud Olmert, who was resigning the premiership and party leadership to fight corruption charges. She was charged with forming a new government by Peres on September 22, but informed the president on Sunday that she was unable to put together a coalition, after a key potential partner, the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, said it would not join. Olmert has since his resignation on September 21 continued to rule the country at the head of a transitional government that will be in place until a new one is formed after the elections. Israeli police officials told the Ha'aretz daily Monday that they had gathered enough evidence against Olmert in one of the cases he is being investigated for, known as 'Olmert-tours.' The resigned premier is suspected of having submitted the same travel expenses bill multiple times to various bodies, including the state, keeping the surplus to himself and using it for travel by his family. The police sources said an indictment against the resigned premier could be filed within days. Olmert has so far resisted pressure to step aside as interim premier and allow Livni, his deputy, to take over as acting premier. Several Kadima legislators have urged him to do so, arguing that entering the elections as an acting premier would give her an edge over her main adversary, former premier Benjamin Netanyahu of the hardline Likud party. On Sunday however, Olmert told the Knesset that he would continue as caretaker premier until a new government was formed.