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First test of leadership By Haaretz Editorial Tags: Livni, Kadima, Israel Tzipi Livni's victory over Shaul Mofaz in the race to become Kadima's leader seems narrow because it did not match the pollsters' forecasts. But even a lead of 431 votes, like a lead of one vote, is a victory. When the number of voters in the primary is 39,931 - 55 percent of the electorate - it is not unreasonable for the gap to be in the hundreds. Livni has a mandate to try to form a government because that is the parliamentary system in Israel. The claim that her mandate may be legal but she does not have moral legitimacy is typical of the Israeli political discourse since the Oslo Accords. Anyone who tries to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians is treated similarly. If there is a moment when a person can achieve fame or infamy, it is when that person loses an election with dignity. Mofaz did this when he quickly accepted the outcome, although he could have argued that elections committee chairman Dan Arbel should not have extended the voting by half an hour, that the pollsters had distorted reality to his detriment, or that the media clearly favored Livni. Since Mofaz decided not to appeal the results and took a "time-out" to consider his next steps, he should not appeal the election's legitimacy. He should ask his associates and pundits, especially his media advisers, to stop raising objections that undermine the legitimacy of Livni's victory. Advertisement The Kadima primary determined who would replace Ehud Olmert as the leader of the party that won the last Knesset elections. The head of the largest party will now attempt to form the broadest possible coalition. Since the prime minister must resign due to corruption and not because he lost the confidence of the Knesset, it may be assumed that the platform of the government that remains in office will not change much. In the parliamentary system in force here, the person who wins the confidence of most of the Knesset has a full mandate to make decisions and lead. To say that too few people decided who will be the next prime minister is nonsense. The Knesset, which represents the people, decides when elections are held. The way Livni tries to form a government will be the first test of her leadership. Being clean means more than not accepting envelopes filled with money. Political cleanliness also requires making decisions that are statesmanlike and not opportunistic. Livni has to prove that in contrast to her predecessor, she chooses the persons best suited to the job to be her cabinet ministers and not those who claim to represent the "grassroots," those who threaten the unity of the ranks and those who threaten to call for new elections. Livni is obligated only to the public she seeks to lead. The selection of Amir Peretz as defense minister because he wanted a job for which he was unsuited, or the selection of Abraham Hirchson because he was the prime minister's friend, were quickly revealed to have been harmful to the public interest. If Livni wants to lead and not to be led, she must build a government that reflects her agenda. Bookmark to del.icio.us   'The Mossad dove' Official Syrian state paper says Livni can have peace if she desires it. Abbas the columnist PA Chief: History will judge none of us kindly if we squander chance for peace.

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