JPost.com
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will remain head of the transitional government that would come into being when he quits following the Kadima primary, even if Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz decides to indict him, a source close to Olmert said Saturday night.
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"Ehud Olmert will remain prime minister until a new government is formed, whether it's after a general election or if the new government is formed by whoever wins the Kadima primary," the source said. "If there's an indictment after that, as far as we are concerned, he has already quit."
In a dramatic post-Yom Ha'atzmaut press conference on May 8, Olmert promised to resign if he any of the corruption allegations against him resulted in an indictment. Then, in a hastily called July 30 press conference, he vowed to quit the day after the September 17 Kadima primary.
Should Olmert resign after the primary, the cabinet also resigns and the government becomes a transitional government, with Olmert at its head, that remains in power until a new government is formed. This could take least a few weeks, but might only happen after a general election, probably in the spring.
By law, no minister or party may leave a transitional government. Thus, even if he is subsequently indicted, Olmert would be locked in as head of the transitional government, whether he - or anyone else - likes it or not.
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