Itongadol.- Likud MK Reuven Rivlin thanked his fellow candidates after winning Tuesday\’s presidential election, saying to runner-up Meir Sheetrit, "What a fight you gave."
"We are at the end of a long, exciting election campaign. The public\’s trust in the presidency was harmed," Rivlin stated.
"As president I must rehabilitate that trust. I will continue to serve the public faithfully," he said.
Rivlin said he had been a Likud politician for many years, but would be forced as president to leave his long-time political home.
He also bid farewell to the Knesset, saying, "I was here for seven terms, stood at the Knesset\’s head for two of them and experienced the life force of Israeli democracy."
"Long live Israel!" Rivlin declared
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanayhu congratulated Rivlin on his victory at the official toast for the election\’s victor.
He said that Rivlin was part of the "legacy of Zionism."
"As a man of the Land of Israel and Israel\’s first citizen, you have two missions: to bring all the parts of the society together and to represent Israel to the world," Netanyahu said.
"These two missions you will fulfill as the president to the best of your ability," Netanyahu said, thanking Rivlin for his years of service.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni congratulated Rivlin, saying that she was certain that he would represent Israel with dignity.
Livni had thrown her support behind Rivlin\’s competitor in the election, her fellow Hatnua MK Sheetrit. "It is no secret that I did not vote for Reuvi Rivlin, but he and I are from the same movement – the Jabotinsky movement, which at its original core represents democracy and statesmanship."
Livni said that it was a day for Israel to celebrate
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) congratulated Rivlin on his victory as well.
"Israel has been privileged with a national, Zionist president who is a lover of the Land of Israel and the Jewish people," Bennett said.
Bennett called Rivlin "a president that believes in the Jewish people\’s rights in its own land and is not ashamed to say it."
The Bayit Yehudi leader added that his party supported Rivlin and was pleased with the results of the election.
Labor MK Shelly Yacimovich welcomed the victory of Rivlin, saying that he would "connect all parts of society" in a fair and humble manner.
She said that the presidential race\’s various scandals had served to weed out corrupt individuals and left Israel with an unsullied president.