Transport Minister Meir Amit still is not saying what he will do now that the Democratic Movement for Change (DMC) has split into two groups. But Deputy Premier Yigael Yadin today ruled out the possibility that Amit would join his Democratic Movement.
Yadin’s comments followed a statement by Amit, who, in a television interview yesterday, blamed Yadin for the split in the DMC. Amit said the break-up of the party was caused when Yadin demanded Aug. 18 that the DMC’s governing council vote on a resolution creating the party’s institutions before holding an ideological conference. Yadin lost the vote by a 58-57 margin when Amit joined the supporters of Prof. Amnan Rubinstein in opposing the resolution.
The long-held difference between Yadin and Rubinstein forces, followed by the close vote, triggered the final disintegration of the DMC with both sides agreeing to divide the 15 DMC Knesset members among them. Yadin leads the Democratic Movement with seven MKs. Rubinstein, who heads Shinui (Change), the name of the group he founded after the Yom Kippur War, has five MKs. Amit still has not decided what he and the two other MKs that support him will do, but they are being strongly wooed by Shinui.
GROUPS PONDER ROLE IN GOVERNMENT
The Democratic Movement was officially constituted last Thursday night with Yadin as its leader. Its membership includes 61 of the members of the former DMC Council. Yadin told the session that there never could be harmony within the DMC as long as Shinui was part of it. At that session he also urged Amit to join his group.
Shinui had an unofficial meeting last night attended by about 40 members of the original DMC Council. It decided to hold a constituent assembly next week at which it will also vote on whether to leave the government coalition. It was demands by Rubinstein and his supporters that the DMC leave the government that caused the original split with Yadin. But until it takes official action Shinui said it still regards itself as part of the government coalition.
If Shinui leaves the coalition it will increase demands by the National Religious Party that it be given a fourth Cabinet post. The DMC had four of its members in the Cabinet, Yadin, Amit, Justice Minister Shmuel Tamir and Social Betterment Minister Yisrael Katz. But now the NRP with 12 MKs would be a larger party and its officials are demanding proportionally higher representation in the Cabinet.
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