In a surprise move, Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron on Wednesday submitted his candidacy to become Supreme Court president, bypassing the traditional route of the position being determined by seniority.

President Esther Hayut is retiring in October and the next most senior justice who is eligible for the position is Yitzchak Amit, a liberal. Until now, the vote for a new president was merely symbolic as only the most senior justice would submit his candidacy to the Judicial Selection Committee for the position. However, there is no law mandating this.

Elron, who is considered right-wing in his views, is now the first justice in Israeli history to submit his name to the Judicial Selection Committee for the position of president despite his lack of seniority.

Kan News reported that Elron had first suggested to his colleague, Justice Noam Solberg, to announce his candidacy for the presidency in order to prevent Amit from being elected, whom he views as unfit for the position.

According to the report, Solberg considered the suggestion but ultimately decided against it, spurring Elron to submit his candidacy.

The announcement comes amid fierce internal conflicts between the majority of the Supreme Court justices and Elron, who believes that the court has lost its direction in all spheres – constitutional, national, and criminal.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)