This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/6747517.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 3 | Version 4 |
---|---|
Peres elected Israel's president | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Veteran Israeli politician Shimon Peres has been elected the country's next president, after his two rivals pulled out of the race. | |
Mr Peres, 83, won support from 86 of the parliament's 120 MPs after voting went to a second round. | |
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. |
Mr Peres, of the Kadima party, has served twice as Israel's prime minister and is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. | |
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. | 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. |
Reuven Rivlin of the opposition Likud received 37 votes and Labour's Colette Avital 21. They both declared their support for Mr Peres after the first-round results. | |
International success | International success |
It is the second attempt by Mr Peres 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. | |
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. |