Veteran statesman and Nobel laureate Shimon Peres was elected President of Israel on Wednesday, capping a six-decade-old political career in which he has held every senior political position.
Mr Peres has been elected the ninth president of Israel at a time when the office of the ceremonial head has taken a severe battering in view of charges of rape and sexual misconduct against outgoing president Moshe Katsav.
A beaming Peres thanked the lawmakers who supported him and pledged to “give my all to serve Israel.”
Mr Peres said that he saw his new role as a unifier of Israel’s fractured society.