MK says will introduce ´new social order´ after defeating Livni on Tuesday and Netanyahu in next general elections

Israel´s citizens, not Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will determine when the next Knesset elections will be held, Knesset Member Shaul Mofaz said Sunday evening.

Speaking at conference on religion and state organized by The Pluralism Forum, Mofaz predicted that Israelis will once again take to the streets this summer to protest against the "exclusion of women from the public sphere, equality in carrying the burden and price hikes.

"They (citizens) will have something to say to Netanyahu ahead of the next elections," said Mofaz, who is running for the chairmanship of the Kadima party against its current leader Tzipi Livni. The party primaries are scheduled to take place Tuesday.

Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu dismissed reports claiming he was planning to move up the general elections, which are set for October 2013.

"Israel is a powerful country in every sense, but when it comes to the civil-social sphere, we are a weak country," Mofaz told the conference.

"In Israel there are large (socioeconomic) gaps, which I have experienced (personally) – and there are civilians in the periphery, as well as central and southern Israel, who have experienced these gaps as well. I plan on doing something about it as the head of Kadima and later as prime minister. I will introduce a new social order in Israel," he declared.

Mofaz predicted that the next Knesset elections will be held a few months after the Kadima primary. "I believe one of the main issues in the next elections will be the relationship between religion and state, as well as equality," he said, referring to the Tal Law.

Over the weekend MK Avi Dichter announced his withdrawal from the Kadima chairmanship race and declared his support for Mofaz.

During Sunday´s conference, Mofaz also backed the calls to change Israel´s political system. "In this system, the candidate who wins (the elections) democratically does not form the government. The best example of this is the recent elections. True, Kadima, headed by Livni, made mistakes, but Netanyahu took advantage of Israel´s flawed system of government. Most of the country´s citizens voted Kadima," he said. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 03/25/12)