Kadima
קדימה |
|
---|---|
Leader |
Ariel Sharon Ehud Olmert Tzipi Livni Shaul Mofaz Akram Hasson |
Founded | 24 November 2005 |
Split from | Likud |
Headquarters | Petah Tikva, Israel |
Membership (2012) | 96,000 |
Ideology |
Centrism Liberalism Zionism |
Political position | Centre |
International affiliation | World Zionist Organization |
Colours | Navy blue, Red and White |
Knesset |
0 / 120
|
Most MKs | 29 (2006) |
Fewest MKs | 2 (2013) |
Election symbol | |
כן | |
Website | |
www |
|
Kadima (Hebrew: קדימה, lit. Forward) is a centrist and liberalpolitical party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely to support the issue of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians.
With Ehud Olmert as party chairman following Sharon's stroke, it became the largest party in the Knesset after the 2006 elections, winning 29 of the 120 seats, and led a coalition government. Although Kadima also won the most seats in the 2009 elections under Tzipi Livni's leadership, it became an opposition party for the first time after a Likud-led government was formed. Livni was defeated in the 2012 leadership election, losing out to the more conservative Shaul Mofaz. Following Livni's defeat, the party's progressive wing broke away at the end of 2012, to form a new centre-left party, Hatnuah, which Livni led from the outset. In the 2013 elections, Kadima became the smallest party in the Knesset, winning only 2 seats and barely passing the electoral threshold. It did not enter the 2015 elections.
Prior to Kadima's formation, the political tug-of-war between Ariel Sharon and his right-wing supporters, both within the Likud and outside of it, was an ongoing subject of speculation in Israeli politics and in the Israeli media. The expectation that Sharon would leave his own party to form a new party composed of his Likud allies and open the door to politicians from other parties to switch to the new party was dubbed the "big bang" (HaMapatz HaGadol) because it would result in a radical realignment of Israel's political landscape.