Senior Kadima officials: Olmert won't run in primaries

Several hours after Kadima leadership candidates agree on mid-September primaries, senior party officials estimate that Prime Minister Olmert will not compete; PM has not yet officially announced whether he intends to run
Attila Somfalvi

End of the road for Olmert? Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will not be running in the Kadima leadership primaries, a senior party official estimated late Wednesday.

According to sources in the party, including some who are closely associated with the prime minister, in the coming weeks Olmert will attempt to come up with a way to quit his post in a dignified manner and possibly retire from politics altogether.

Earlier Wednesday, agreement was reached on holding the Kadima primaries in September. Top Kadima officials said that the uncertainty conveyed by Olmert regarding his intention to run in the primaries stems from his desire to leave his post in a dignified manner.

Kadima agrees on mid-September primaries

According to the agreement reached Wednesday, the Kadima primaries will be held between September 14-18, and the candidate who wins the vote will be the party's premiership candidate in the next general elections. This arrangement was formulated by MK Tzachi Hanegbi, who heads Kadima's party affairs committee, in conjunction with the party's leadership candidates.

We all thought he would be forced out in July and that is not going to happen so I refuse to get my hopes up.