The February 1977

Israeli Labor Party The Israeli Labor Party ( he, מִפְלֶגֶת הָעֲבוֹדָה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית, ), commonly known as HaAvoda ( he, הָעֲבוֹדָה, , The Labor), is a social democratic and Zionist political party in Israel. The p ...

leadership election A leadership election is a political contest held in various countries by which the members of a political party determine who will be the leader of their party. Generally, any political party can determine its own rules governing how and when a l ...

was held on 23 February 1977. It saw

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...

re-elected as the party's leader. Rabin defeated Shimon Peres. It was the second of four leadership contests in which Rabin and Peres faced each other (after the 1974 and followed by the 1980, and 1992 leadership elections). It had been anticipated that the winner of this leadership election would lead the Israeli Labor Party into the 1977 Knesset election. However, Rabin ultimately announced his resignation before this election, and Peres was instead selected in an April vote held by the Israeli Labor Party's Central Committee to lead the party into that election.

Candidates

* Shimon Peres, member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

since 1959, Minister of Defense since 1974, former

Minister of Information An information minister (also called minister of information) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with information matters; it is often linked with censorship and propaganda. Sometimes the position is given to ...

(1974), former

Minister of Transportation A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

(1970–1974), and former Minister of Immigration and Absorption (1969–1970) *

, incumbent leader since 1974,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

since 1974, member of the Knesset since 1973, former

Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...

(1974), former

ambassador to the United States The following table lists ambassadors to the United States, sorted by the representative country or organization. See also *Ambassadors of the United States Notes {{reflist, 30em External linksCurrent and former Ambassadors to the United Sta ...

(1968–1973), and former

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

(1964–1968)

Background

The race came at a moment when Labor was facing the prospect of seeing its 28-consecutive years of government leadership end, with the right-wing

Likud Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sha ...

bloc and the

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...

Democratic Movement for Change The Democratic Movement for Change (, ''Tnu'a Demokratit LeShinui''), commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Dash (), was a short-lived and initially highly successful centrist political party in Israel. Formed in 1976 by numerous well-known non-pol ...

being seen as cutting into the Labor Party's support for the upcoming 1977 Knesset election.

Campaign

The race was a close battle between the incumbent Rabin and Peres, who had faced each other for leadership in the preceding 1974 leadership election.: * * Rabin and Peres held little policy difference. Peres was seen as slightly to the right of Rabin on domestic matters. Rabin argued to the electorate that replacing him would divide the party and harm its image, and painted an image of himself as a positive leader for the nation. Peres, on the other hand, argued to the electorate that the Labor Party needed to satisfy the nation's desire for change by choosing a new leader for itself. Rabin received support from most of his cabinet, as well as

Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and '' kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to ...

, his predecessor as party leader and prime minister. The day before the vote, Rabin pledged to renew efforts to reach a peace agreement with the Arabs.

Voting procedure

The election's electorate was 3,000 delegates to the party's convention, This was the first time that the party selected its leader by a vote of convention delegates, having previously held leadership elections through either a vote by the party's Central Committee or other party agencies. Ahead of the vote, the result leadership election was seen as uncertain in outcome, a departure from previous leadership elections, which were largely a ratification of the already-chosen selection of party bosses.

Results

References

{{Reflist 1977 01 Labor Party leadership 01 Israeli Labor Party leadership election 01 Yitzhak Rabin Shimon Peres