Last update - 00:00 18/05/2007
Labor Party won't decide on quitting government until June
By Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondent
The Labor Central Committee on Friday accepted the proposal of Amir Peretz, the party chairman and defense minister, to delay a decision on whether Labor should quit the government until three weeks after the May 28 party primaries.
If no candidate gets the necessary percentage of votes, a second round of voting could be held in mid-June.
In deciding to delay its decision, the central committee rejected a competing proposal by chairmanship candidate MK Ophir Pines-Paz calling on the party to announce immediately that it will not remain in a government headed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
The committee also decided Friday to approve Labor MK Colette Avital as the party's presidential candidate. Her candidacy is expected to take votes away from Shimon Peres, a longtime Laborite but current Kadima member.