Israel's parliament has elected Reuven Rivlin, a far-right member of the ruling Likud party, to be the nation's 10th president when Shimon Peres steps down next month.
Known for his affable character and quirky sense of humour, the 74-year-old former parliamentary speaker will take over as head of state when Peres retires at the end of July, drawing a line under what many regard as a golden age of the presidency.
A lawyer by profession, Rivlin has won widespread support from across the political spectrum for his determined defence of democracy and civil rights.
But his political outlook is diametrically opposed to that of Peres, being a firm opponent of a Palestinian state and a keen backer of the settlements.
And he will have a tough act to follow, with Peres's charisma and global standing enabling him to transcend the largely ceremonial position of the presidency and use it to promote a political message of peace.
Announcing the results of a run-off vote, parliamentary speaker Yuli Edelstein said Rivlin had defeated his centrist challenger Meir Sheetrit by 63 votes to 53 in a secret ballot of the Knesset's 120 MPs.
The other three candidates, former politician Dalia Itzik, retired Supreme Court justice Dalia Dorner and chemistry Nobel Laureate Dan Shechtman were all eliminated in a first round of voting.
As the portly, white-haired politician passed through the corridors of the Knesset, MPs and well-wishers pat him on the back, some hugging him, others offering smiles and congratulations in a celebratory atmosphere.
In a televised joint news conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose bitter dislike of Rivlin made headlines in the weeks running up to the vote, offered Rivlin his congratulations.
Many Israeli commentators are sanguine about Rivlin's political bent and what he will use the presidency to try to achieve.
"Rivlin is far to the right of the clear Israeli consensus, he is opposed to the two-state solution, he is an out-and-out supporter of the settlement enterprise on both sides of the separation fence," commentator Ben Caspit wrote in Maariv on Tuesday.
Peres, the last surviving member of Israel's founding fathers, is due to wrap up his seven-year term at the end of July, just a week shy of his 91st birthday.
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