Shelly Yachimovich Elected Leader of Israel's Labor Party

Israel's Labor Party is a mere shadow of its onetime self, down to only eight seats in the current Knesset since Ehud Barak's defection, but there are some who think it still could stand a chance of replacing Kadima as the main opposition party if it can redefine itself as a party running on social and economic issues in the wake of recent nationwide economic protests.

The election of Shelly Yachimovich in yesterday's party runoff yesterday gives  labor its first woman leader since Golda Meir. (And Kadima, of course, is led by Tzipi Livni.) A former journalist and anchor, Yachimovich is a relative newcomer to politics. She beat out former Party chief Amir Peretz for the leadership.

For an admiring editorial on Yachimovich, see here.