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DPA
Tel Aviv
The two largest parties in Israel have agreed on March 2 as the date for the third election in under a year if no last-minute agreement on a governing coalition is reached by a Wednesday deadline.
The vote on the date would be held on Wednesday and not before, so as to allow party heads to “get a grip on themselves” and avoid “superfluous and expensive elections at the last minute,” Knesset (parliament) Speaker Yuli Edelstein said.
Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White party and Caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the right-wing Likud blamed each other for their respective failure to form a unity government.
If no deal is reached on a new government by Wednesday at 23:59 pm (2159 GMT), it will be the first time since 1984 that elections will be held on a Monday.
Israeli law states that new elections must be held on the first Tuesday after 90 days have since the Knesset’s dissolution, but a majority in the House can decide otherwise. All Tuesdays in March were problematic due to various events. Israel faces a political stalemate that neither Netanyahu nor Gantz has been able to end.
In the September 17 election, Gantz’ Blue and White won 33 of the 120 mandates in Israel’s parliament, against 32 for Netanyahu’s Likud. In the earlier April 9 election, the two largest parties tied, each winning 35.
They have twice been unable to agree on a unity government. Gantz has declined to sit with the Likud so long as Netanyahu would be prime minister, while Netanyahu has insisted he wants to stay in office for at least another six months.
It was announced last month that Netanyahu would be the country’s first sitting prime minister to be indicted. He faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust for allegedly offering political favours in return for more positive press coverage.
Tel Aviv
The two largest parties in Israel have agreed on March 2 as the date for the third election in under a year if no last-minute agreement on a governing coalition is reached by a Wednesday deadline.
The vote on the date would be held on Wednesday and not before, so as to allow party heads to “get a grip on themselves” and avoid “superfluous and expensive elections at the last minute,” Knesset (parliament) Speaker Yuli Edelstein said.
Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White party and Caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the right-wing Likud blamed each other for their respective failure to form a unity government.
If no deal is reached on a new government by Wednesday at 23:59 pm (2159 GMT), it will be the first time since 1984 that elections will be held on a Monday.
Israeli law states that new elections must be held on the first Tuesday after 90 days have since the Knesset’s dissolution, but a majority in the House can decide otherwise. All Tuesdays in March were problematic due to various events. Israel faces a political stalemate that neither Netanyahu nor Gantz has been able to end.
In the September 17 election, Gantz’ Blue and White won 33 of the 120 mandates in Israel’s parliament, against 32 for Netanyahu’s Likud. In the earlier April 9 election, the two largest parties tied, each winning 35.
They have twice been unable to agree on a unity government. Gantz has declined to sit with the Likud so long as Netanyahu would be prime minister, while Netanyahu has insisted he wants to stay in office for at least another six months.
It was announced last month that Netanyahu would be the country’s first sitting prime minister to be indicted. He faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust for allegedly offering political favours in return for more positive press coverage.
