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Israel's Shalom drops out of presidential race

21 May 2014 20:22 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Israel's Energy Minister Silvan Shalom will not run for the presidential race on June 10 because he failed to gain support from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Shalom made the decision following indications that neither Netanyahu nor Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman would support him, Israel's Ynet website news reported, quoting a source close to Shalom.

Shalom's office would not comment to Xinhua about the report.

Shalom was emerging as Netanyahu's favorite candidate but recent reports of sexual harassment allegations apparently caused Netanyahu to change his mind.

Although the attorney general decided to close the case earlier this month, Shalom still failed to win back Netanyahu's support after several meetings with him.

Members of the Knesset (parliament) will elect a new president on June 10 to replace incumbent Shimon Peres, whose tenure ends on July 27. Peres, who is one of the more popular Israeli politicians, has held the largely ceremonial position since 2007.

So far, no prominent favorite candidate has emerged for the job. Reuven Rivlin, former speaker of the Knesset and a veteran Likud member, had announced his intention to run for the post but bad blood between him and Netanyahu makes it unlikely that Netanyahu will endorse his candidacy. However, Rivlin is gaining a growing support from fellow Likud members in parliament.