There were four candidates: •
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi: One of the founders of
Mapai (the ruling party, for whom he was a member of the Knesset) and the
Histadrut (the country's largest
trade union), a former president of the
Vaad Leumi, signatory of the
Israel declaration of independence and a personal friend of
Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. •
Peretz Bernstein: A member of the Knesset for the
General Zionists and also a signatory of the country's declaration of independence. •
Yitzhak Gruenbaum: A signatory of the Israeli declaration of independence, a minister in the
provisional government, and though an adherent of
Mapam, not a member of any political party. •
Mordechai Nurock: A member of the Knesset for
Mizrachi and
Minister of Postal Services in the
government at the time. Before the election,
Albert Einstein was spoken to by
Abba Eban about the possibility of becoming President. He declined, explaining, "I have neither the natural ability nor the experience to deal with human beings." ==Results==