Lahav Harkov
Jerusalem Post, Apr. 6, 2022
“While this looks like a recipe for an election, it is possible that not much will happen in the very short term, as the Knesset is scheduled for recess for more than a month. The coalition could decide to accept its fate and call an election, but if it doesn’t, Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy does not have to convene the legislature for any consequential votes, let alone votes of no-confidence, during that period.”
With the resignation of coalition chairwoman Idit Silman, the always-shaky coalition is more precarious than ever, having lost its majority in the Knesset. There are a number of possible outcomes from Silman’s move, but the most likely is an election later this year, with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid as interim prime minister for at least a few months.
The coalition and opposition are now tied, with 60 seats each. In theory, the opposition only needs to tempt one more coalition MK onto its side to form a new government without an election. Almost all of Yamina’s remaining MKs are viewed as weak links, with Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s perennial political partner, as the crown jewel.
However, the opposition is actually divided: 54 under the leadership of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and another six in the predominately Arab Joint List, which means the opposition leader needs to convince seven MKs to join him.
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