18 January 2009. A day before, Israeli officials announced a unilateral ceasefire, without an agreement with Hamas. In a press conference, Olmert declared the ceasefire effective that night, at 00:00 GMT. Resignation On 30 July 2008, Olmert announced that he would not contest the Kadima party leadership election in September and would resign from office once his party elects a new leader. In his resignation speech, he said he was "proud to be a citizen of a country in which a Prime Minister can be investigated like any other citizen", but also stated he "was forced to defend [himself] from ceaseless attacks by the self-appointed soldiers of justice, who sought to oust [him] from [his] position". The move was interpreted as signaling the end of Olmert's political career. Many politicians across the political spectrum praised Olmert's decision to resign. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said "the personal decision was not simple, but it was a correct one. Kadima must continue to act in a way that will preserve its unity and ability to lead." Defense minister and Labor party leader Ehud Barak called Olmert's announcement "a proper and responsible decision made at the right time". Opposition leaders called for the resignation to be followed by general elections. The Likud party leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, called for snap elections: "It doesn't matter who heads Kadima. They are all partners in this government's total failure. National responsibility requires a return to the people and new elections." After Tzipi Livni won the leadership election, Olmert officially resigned but remained prime minister, according to the dictates of the law. Even after an official resignation, he remained in power until a new prime minister was sworn in, in order to prevent a government void. Livni tried unsuccessfully to form a new coalition government. After Livni announced she could not form the new government, new parliamentary elections were set for 10 February 2009, and Olmert remained in power until after the elections, just as the law dictates. Corruption and bribery investigations Beginning in the mid-1980s, Olmert was subjected to a string of corruption allegations that resulted in multiple police investigations. According to Israeli journalist Yossi Melman, the repeated investigations led some to believe that Olmert was corrupt but a master at covering his tracks, while others believed that the authorities were simply obsessed with harassing him. On 7 March 2006, it was disclosed that an inquiry was being