The head of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder, on Tuesday welcomed the election of Reuven Rivlin, 74, as tenth president of the State of Israel.
“In electing Reuven Rivlin to succeed Shimon Peres, the Knesset has made an excellent choice. Mr. Rivlin is a man of conviction, and he personifies the values of the Jewish state,” Lauder said in a first reaction. Israeli lawmakers on Tuesday elected the former Knesset speaker to succeed Shimon Peres as head of state by a clear margin. Rivlin beat Meir Sheetrit by 63:53 votes in the second round of voting. He will take office in late July
Lauder declared: "Undoubtedly, President Peres has elevated the office of President of the State of Israel to the highest possible level. His tenure was exemplary, and he has probably been the best head of state Israel has ever had. His appeal in the entire Jewish world was unsurpassed, and his departure from front-line politics will be the end of an era.
“Nonetheless, we are confident that the Rivlin presidency will be, albeit different in style, equally successful. As Knesset speaker, Reuven Rivlin has proved that he can act across party lines and reach out to the wider world. One of the new president’s key tasks will be to strengthen Israel’s links with the Jewish Diaspora, and we look forward to continuing the close collaboration which the WJC has had with Shimon Peres with President Rivlin. Mazel Tov, Mr. President!"
In the first round of voting none of the five candidates -- Nobel Prize laureate Daniel Shechtman, former Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik, retired Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner, Rivlin and Sheetrit -- mustered the necessary 61-vote majority. Rivlin lead the first round with 44 votes, followed by Sheetrit with 31. Itzik received 28 votes, Dorner 13 and Shechtman received one. Two of the 119 votes were disqualified. One Knesset member was absent from the vote. In the second round of voting, only the two front runners were allowed to put their name forward.
