Labor Party leader Avi Gabbay suffered a blow in Tuesday’s election, in which he led Labor from the 24 seats of the Zionist Union in 2015 to only six seats.
But none of Labor’s candidates called upon him to quit immediately on Wednesday, except for his longtime rival Eitan Cabel.
MK Shelly Yacimovich, who is sixth on the list, said Gabbay made many mistakes during the campaign. For instance, she said, it was a mistake to not consider forming a bloc with Meretz.
Yair “Yaya” Fink, who was 12th on the list, agreed that Gabbay made mistakes, but said he does not believe Gabbay will be forced out yet.
According to Labor’s constitution, a party leader who loses an election must face a leadership race within 14 months.
Fink put the blame not on Gabbay but on Blue and White’s campaign about the need for the largest party to be strong to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“Our voters wanted Bibi to go home,” Fink said. “That was our main problem.”
KAN reported that in the next Labor faction meeting, MKs would demand a party convention that would debate Gabbay’s future.
According to the report, former Labor leader Amir Peretz is being considered as acting leader of the party during a leadership race if Gabbay is forced to quit.