Israel`s Peres To Make Quick Choice For PM

Under Israeli law, Peres appoints a legislator to try to put together a government, and he or she has 42 days to complete the task.

Israeli President Shimon Peres will finish consulting with party leaderson Thursday so he can make a quick decision on who to pick to try to form a government following an indecisive election, his office said.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, head of the centrist Kadima party, and right-wing opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu have each staked a claim to be prime minister since the Feb. 10 vote.

"The president wants to speed up the process and finish it today," a spokeswoman said. She did not say when a final decision would be announced.

Peres met on Wednesday with members of Kadima, which won 28 seats, and Likud, which took 27. He planned to consult on Thursday with representatives from the remaining 10 parties voted into the 120-seat parliament.

Under Israeli law, Peres appoints a legislator to try to put together a government, and he or she has 42 days to complete the task.

Traditionally, after an election, past presidents have picked the leader of the party that won the most votes, but there is no legal obligation to do so.

While Livni's Kadima took the most seats, Netanyahu seems to enjoy sufficient support from a large right-wing bloc to form a governing coalition.

In what appeared to be a blow to Livni, Defence Minister Ehud Barak whose left-wing Labour party came in fourth place in the election, said on Thursday he would not recommend a candidate to form the next government.

"The picture is clear, and we are going to the opposition. In this reality, in my opinion, there is just one possibility, not to recommend any of the candidates for prime minister," Barak said at a faction meeting.

Peres's decision could also hinge on who Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party that came in third in the national ballot, recommends. It is unclear, however, whether Lieberman, due to meet Peres later in the day, will make a recommendation.

Peres has until Feb. 25 to make his choice.