Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., February 13, 2009 Shvat 19, 5769 | | Israel Time: 01:30 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Joy of Giving Travel Week's End Anglo File

Pensioners Party, Green-Meimad fall short of Knesset By Shahar Ilan The Green Movement-Meimad and the Pensioners Party failed to pass the vote percentage threshold and will not be represented in the next Knesset. The Pensioners Party received a mere 0.5 percent of the vote, while Meimad, which formerly ran as part of Labor's list, received 0.8 percent. Ephraim Sneh broke off from the Labor Party to try to establish the anti-crime party, Strong Israel. Advertisement Pundits believe that most of centrist and left wing voters, from which the bulk of these two parties' supporters came, went to Kadima chair Tzipi Livni, while the fighting in Gaza rendered them irrelevant. Meimad leader Michael Melchior, one of the outgoing Knesset's prominent members, could not find a larger faction to join this election campaign and ran on a joint list with the Green Movement. Flash in the pan Despite the list's high-profile Internet campaign, it failed to garner a sufficient number of votes. The Pensioners Party, which gleaned an unexpected seven Knesset seats in the previous elections, proved a flash in the pan. Riddled with quarrels and splits, and burdened with former chairman Moshe Sharoni, who had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth, it rapidly lost voter support. Notwithstanding, the faction raised the pensioners' rights issue to the Knesset's agenda. It led to the establishment of a special ministry for pensioners' affairs and initiated several budgetary increments for people above 65. Shortly before the elections party chair Rafi Eitan replaced all its members, but this move proved to be too little, too late, and failed to stave off the collapse. Bookmark to del.icio.us   How Israel voted See Israel election results by city/sector. Israeli cover girls Israeli model Bar Refaeli lands Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover.

Read & React U.S.: Obama to push forth peace, regardless of who leads Israel Responses: 62 Israel Harel: In this election, Israel's left got what it deserved Responses: 41 Gideon Levy: Does Zionism legitimize every act of violence? Responses: 66 Abbas urges world to isolate Likud like it does Hamas Responses: 52 More Headlines 23:58 Hamas: Egypt to announce Gaza truce in 2 days 19:15 Two Israeli Druze jailed for spying for Syria 23:33 Final election results: Kadima 28 seats, Likud 27, Yisrael Beiteinu 15 22:36 Likud blasts Kadima's victory declaration as 'pathetic' 19:05 Noam Shalit tells Blair: This may be last chance to free my son 22:10 Egypt: Secretary of State Clinton to attend Gaza donors meet in Cairo 22:18 U.K. bans Dutch politician over film condemning Koran 23:43 Israel warns of harsh response to any attack by Hezbollah 21:55 Algerian-born man admits to firebombing of Jewish targets in Montreal 23:28 WATCH: Brad Pitt as Nazi hunter in Quentin Tarantino's latest film 20:33 Shas seeks ultra-Orthodox bloc to counter Lieberman 18:49 Australia Jews mobilize to aid victims of wildfires 12:11 Sheetrit: Kadima won't join far-right government 15:07 Pope tells Jewish leaders Holocaust denial is 'intolerable' 14:40 White House: Obama to push peace process, regardless of Israel leader 17:41 WATCH: Israeli TV show depicts Lieberman as Darth Vader-esque dictator 10:54 Lieberman: I've made up my mind between Livni, Netanyahu 16:00 Mohammad Khatami criticizes rival Ahmadinejad over Iran's isolation 22:46 U.S. Senator Kerry to meet with Syrian President Assad next week 20:32 Irish trade unionists plan boycott of Israeli goods in aftermath of Gaza op 17:40 Iraq MPs seek reparation for 1981 Israeli attack on nuclear reactor Previous Editions Select Day 12 feb 11 feb 10 feb 09 feb 08 feb 06 feb 05 feb 04 feb 03 feb 02 feb 01 feb 30 jan

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