1949 Israeli presidential election

16 February 1949 1951 →

Nominee Chaim Weizmann Joseph Klausner Party General Zionists Independent Electoral vote 83 15

Elected President Chaim Weizmann

Indirect presidential elections were held in Israel on 16 February 1949 to elect the first president of the State of Israel. The president was elected by the 120 members of the Knesset and would replace the president of the Provisional State Council as head of state.^[1]

Candidates

There were two candidates:

• Chaim Weizmann: The president of the Provisional State Council and the incumbent head of state, Weizmann was a leader of the Zionist cause and heavily involved in the Balfour Declaration and the Faisal-Weizmann Agreement regarding the formation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
• Joseph Klausner: A Jewish scholar and teacher of Hebrew literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Results

The election was settled in the first round, with Weizmann gaining an absolute majority. 114 of the 120 members of the first Knesset voted. Weizmann was declared president on 17 February 1949.