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| Israel MPs elect Reuven Rivlin as president | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Israeli parliament has elected veteran Likud lawmaker Reuven Rivlin as the country's next president. | |
| Mr Rivlin, a former parliamentary speaker and Cabinet minister, defeated long-time legislator Meir Sheetrit, by 63 to 53 in a secret runoff ballot. | |
| He will succeed Shimon Peres, 90, who ends his seven-year term in July. | |
| The Israeli president occupies a largely ceremonial position and has no formal role in peace talks with the Palestinians. | |
| Mr Rivlin, a member of the governing, right-wing Likud party, will become Israel's 10th president. | |
| He won in the second round of voting on Tuesday. | |
| The 74-year-old opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, putting him at odds with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. | |
| Analysts say Mr Peres, a Nobel peace laureate who is popular among many Israelis, will be a hard act to follow. |