The 2003

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 ...

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 19 June 2003 to elect the leader of the Israeli Labor Party. It saw the party's Central Committee elect former prime minister and former longtime party leader

Shimon Peres Shimon Peres (; he, שמעון פרס ; born Szymon Perski; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the ninth president of ...

as the party's interim leader.

Background

The leadership vote took place following Labor's heavy defeat in the

2003 Israeli legislative election 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societies ...

held in January. Quickly after this defeat,

Amram Mitzna Amram Mitzna ( he, עמרם מצנע, born 20 February 1945) is an Israeli politician and former general in the IDF. He is a former mayor of Haifa (1993–2003) and Yeruham (2005–2010) and led the Labor Party from 2002 to 2003. In 2012 he joi ...

announced his resignation as party leader. Unlike the party's regular leadership elections since

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...

(which have been open to its general membership, with the exception of the 1995 leadership election held under extraordinary circumstances), the electorate of this election consisted only of members of the party's Central Committee.

Candidates

Danny Atar Daniel "Danny" Atar ( he, דניאל "דני" עטר, born 5 January 1958) is an Israeli politician. Biography Daniel Atar was born in Afula, Israel, to Jewish parents who had immigrated from Morocco in 1956. During his IDF national service he ...

, leader of the

Gilboa Regional Council Gilboa Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית הגלבוע, ''Mo'atza Azorit (ha)Gilbo'a'') is a regional council in northern Israel, located on the slopes of the Gilboa mountain range. There are more than 22,000 residents in 38 settlements ...

since 1994 *

, former party leader (1977–1992; 1995–1997), former

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 is ...

(1984–1986; 1995–1996), former unofficial acting prime minister (1977), member of the Knesset since 1959, former

minister of defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...

(1974–1977; 1995–1996), former

minister of foreign affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...

(1986–1988; 1992–1995; 2001–2002) *

Efraim Sneh Efraim Sneh ( he, אפרים סנה, born 19 September 1944) is an Israeli politician, physician, and a retired brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces. He was a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party between 1992 and 2008 and served ...

, member of the Knesset since 1992, former minister of transportation (2001–2002), former

minister of health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

(1994–1996)

Results

Peres won a strong victory over his two younger rivals. However, his margin of the vote was less than many had anticipated he would receive. This was the fifth and final Israeli Labor Party leadership vote that Peres would win, after the

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...

, April 1977,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Syst ...

, and

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...

leadership elections. It was also the eight Israeli Labor Party leadership election that Peres had run in, as, in addition to the aforementioned leadership elections that he won, he had unsuccessfully run in the

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...

, February 1977, and

leadership elections. Peres would go on to unsuccessfully run in one final leadership election when he ran unsuccessfully in the following 2005 leadership election.

References

{{Reflist Israeli Labor Party leadership elections Labor Party interim leadership election

June 2003 events in Asia Shimon Peres