Second, the Labor party has proven politically bankrupt, with its only conceivable leader being the 82-year-old Shimon Peres and its anachronistic dovish optimism the source of much ridicule. As a result – and helped by low voter turnout – the party’s leadership primary was won by Amir Peretz, an outsider and populist who wants to revitalize Labor by putting social and economic issues at the forefront, which means withdrawing from the national unity coalition with Likud.