Soccer Dad

Gaydamak for pm?

From Persia's Press TV
Israeli-Russian billionaire to topple Olmert

An Israeli-Russian billionaire has said he is creating a new political party to topple prime minister Ehud Olmert's unpopular government.

"There is an urgent need to change the current government that justifies the creation of a party," the Russian-born businessman, Arkady Gaydamak, said in an interview with AFP.

Gaydamak has been implicated in police investigations in Israel and abroad.

Count on the Persian press to bring up the bad.

Gaydamak has criticized Olmert and his government over waging war against Hezbollah.

Well I think the criticism was more along the lines of not waging the war effectively.

He said the party, which already has some 1,400 activists, will hold its first meeting in al-Quds on Thursday.

Al-Quds, how quaint. Not unexpected from Persia these days I suppose.

From The Jerusalem Post
Gaydamak launches Social Justice party

A spokesman for Gaydamak said the party already had 1,400 supporters and that they hoped to win at least 20 Knesset seats. A recent survey commissioned by Gaydamak showed that his party could receive anywhere between 17 and 23 seats.

In private interviews, Gaydamak has boasted that his party could garner 30 or 40 seats if he decided to "dedicate" himself fully to the political cause. He has not yet revealed where his party would fall on the political spectrum, but his suggestions that he would sit in a coalition with Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu and Israel Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman have led many to believe that Social Justice will be a right-wing party with a focus on immigrant issues.

Perhaps I ought not to write that even the 17-23 seats seems a bit high, I've been underestimating Olmert's and Kadima's staying power for quite some time now. My best guess for his popularity is not just that he's a fresh face, but that he's stepped up and done something when the government didn't.

Gaydamak has already shaken up the political scene by using his vast personal fortune to help communities that he claims the government is ignoring. In two highly-publicized events this year, Gaydamak offered all-expense paid vacations for residents of Sderot, who have been living with frequent rocket barrages, and aid for communities in the North who suffered damage during the Second Lebanon War.

Gaydamak's charity was met with criticism by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who pointed out that the 54-year-old was facing accusations of money laundering and international fraud.

And of course staying in the business news, no doubt helps him keep a high profile.

Arkady Gaydamak, israel.

Posted by SoccerDad at July 10, 2007 6:01 AM