UPDATE - Isaac Herzog elected president of Israel

UPDATES WITH ELECTING ISAAC HERZOG NEW PRESIDENT

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Knesset (Israel's parliament) on Wednesday elected Isaac Herzog a new president for the country, succeeding Reuven Rivlin whose term as president has ended.

Herzog, a former Labour Party leader, became the 11th president of Israel.

According to the Knesset news channel, Herzog received 87 votes of the 120 Knesset members during secret voting on Wednesday, while his rival Miriam Peretz, an educator and social activist who lives in the Israeli settlement of Giv'at Ze'ev northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, won only 27 votes.

Israel's president has fewer powers in comparison with the prime minister where his power includes accepting credentials of new ambassadors, assigning lawmakers to form the government and issue amnesty to prisoners.

*Ahmed Asmar and Mahmoud Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara