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Pensioners' Party head Rafi Eitan
Photo: Yaron Brener
Kadima: Pensioners' Party can't afford tough stance in coalition talks
Livni aide says ruling party won't accept Pensioners' Party demand for additional funding. 'They wouldn't get two mandates if elections were held today,' he adds
A source within Kadima's negotiating team estimated on Tuesday night that the chances for a coalition agreement with Shas were "50-50", this less than two weeks before the extension given to the ruling party's chairwoman, Tzipi Livni, to form a new government expires.
On Sunday Kadima officials said they were not optimistic regarding the results of the negotiations with the haredi party, but a source familiar with the talks noted that "slight progress was made during the most recent meeting, and it appears that there are those in Shas who think so as well."
While another meeting between officials from Kadima and Shas has yet to be scheduled, Kadima is expected to resume its negotiations with United Torah Judaism, Meretz-Yahad and the Pensioners parties on Wednesday.
A Pensioners' Party official said ahead of the scheduled talks, "We also have demands, and if everyone else is getting money (budget allocation), then the pensioners should get some as well."
Kadima sources said the Israel's pensioners were guaranteed additional funding in the framework of the coalition agreement with Labor, adding that the Pensioners' Party could not afford a tough stance during the current negotiations.
"If elections were held today, none of them (Pensioners' members) would return to the Knesset," a Livni aide said, "they won't get two mandates."
