The leader of the Israeli Labor Party, defense minister Ehud Barak, has called on prime minister Ehud Olmert to step down from his post pending the outcome of an investigation into alleged corruption. "The prime minister must disconnect himself from the daily running of the government," Barak said at a press conference in the Knesset building. Given the difficult strategic challenges facing Israel, Olmert could not "simultaneously run the government and deal with his personal affairs," Barak pointed out. He added that Olmert could choose to suspend himself, go on vacation or resign, and he called on Olmert's Kadima Party to bring in a new leader quickly.
While Barak did not set a deadline for Kadima to replace Olmert, Labor's secretary-general Eitan Cabel told the Jerusalem Post newspaper that he would ensure that an election date was set by the time the Knesset adjourned at the end of July. Barak allowed Cabel to submit a bill to dissolve the Knesset.
After the defense minister's press conference, Olmert publicly said that he would "continue to function as prime minister... There are those who believe that every opening of an investigation requires a resignation. I don't think so, and I do not intend to resign."
Meanwhile, Israel's 'Channel 1' television reported that despite officially being supportive of Olmert, Kadima members were already discussing holding primaries for a new leader by September in anticipation of a parliamentary election as soon as November. Candidates most likely to replace Olmert within his party include foreign minister Tzipi Livni, transportation minister Shaul Mofaz, a former army chief of staff, and interior minister Meir Sheetrit. Livni, who would become acting prime minister should Olmert quit his post, is regarded as the favorite.