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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Peres set to become Israel head | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Veteran politician Shimon Peres is set to become Israel's next president after his two rivals pulled out of the race. | |
| Mr Peres earlier won a first round of voting in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, but not by a wide-enough margin to beat his rivals outright. | Mr Peres earlier won a first round of voting in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, but not by a wide-enough margin to beat his rivals outright. |
| He had been facing Reuven Rivlin of the opposition Likud and Labour's Colette Avital for the mainly ceremonial role. | He had been facing Reuven Rivlin of the opposition Likud and Labour's Colette Avital for the mainly ceremonial role. |
| Incumbent Moshe Katsav is on leave of absence since being accused of rape and other sexual offences, which he denies. | Incumbent Moshe Katsav is on leave of absence since being accused of rape and other sexual offences, which he denies. |
| Parliament will still hold a second round of voting later on Wednesday with Mr Peres as the sole candidate. | |
| Earlier, Mr Peres won 58 ballots in the first round, short of the 61 needed to be elected to the post by the 120-member Knesset. | |
| Mr Rivlin received 37 votes and Ms Avital 21. They both declared their support for Mr Peres after the first-round results. | |
| "I am withdrawing from the race and call on all lawmakers to vote unanimously for Shimon Peres," Mr Rivlin said. | |
| International success | International success |
| It is the second attempt by Mr Peres, 83, to become Israel's president. He represented Labour in the 2000 election, which was won by Mr Katsav. | |
| SHIMON PERES Born 1923 in PolandEmigrated to British-administered Palestine 1934Member of parliament since 1959 Prime minister in 1984 and 1995-1996 | SHIMON PERES Born 1923 in PolandEmigrated to British-administered Palestine 1934Member of parliament since 1959 Prime minister in 1984 and 1995-1996 |
| Mr Peres is currently Israel's vice premier and minister of development for the Negev and Galilee regions. | Mr Peres is currently Israel's vice premier and minister of development for the Negev and Galilee regions. |
| He has been Israeli prime minister and held numerous ministerial posts, but lost general elections in 1977, 1981, 1984, 1988, and 1996. | He has been Israeli prime minister and held numerous ministerial posts, but lost general elections in 1977, 1981, 1984, 1988, and 1996. |
| His greatest successes have come on the international stage, and he was the guiding light behind Israel's first interim peace accord with the Palestine Liberation Organisation in 1993 in Oslo. | His greatest successes have come on the international stage, and he was the guiding light behind Israel's first interim peace accord with the Palestine Liberation Organisation in 1993 in Oslo. |
| A high point of Mr Peres' long career came in 1994, when he shared the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his role. | A high point of Mr Peres' long career came in 1994, when he shared the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his role. |