Israel must hold new elections while Netanyahu fails to form a coalition



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Israeli lawmakers voted to dissolve Parliament after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government.

The vote triggered a new election to be held on September 17. Mr. Netanyahu has not been able to reach an agreement for a new right-wing coalition after the elections last month.

At the heart of the stalemate was a bill on military conscription governing the exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox seminary students.

This is the first time in the history of Israel that a designated prime minister fails to form a coalition.

Parliament voted 74 to 45 in favor of its dissolution after Netanyahu pbaded the midnight deadline (21:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

Why did the coalition talks fail?

Netanyahu began negotiations to form a coalition government after his party, the Likud, won 35 of the Knesset's 120 seats in the April elections, preparing him for a fifth term.

But he ran into former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman, whose support for the talks has become vital.

Mr. Lieberman of the Yisrael Beitenu Nationalist Party had demanded that ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties join to amend their exemptions for military projects.

Netanyahu pleaded for new elections to prevent Israeli President Reuven Rivlin from choosing another member of parliament to try to form a government.

Speaking to reporters after the vote, Netanyahu said: "We will lead a clear and clear election campaign that will bring us victory, we will win, we will win and the public will win."

In just over six weeks after their election, Israeli deputies voted Wednesday at a considerable margin for the dissolution of Parliament.

The decision was made after the talks broke down in the long-running conflict between the ultra-Orthodox and secular wings of Netanyahu's right-wing bloc – despite the Israeli leader's increasingly desperate attempts to reduce the number of people killed. ; gap.

He even offered ministerial posts to opponents of the Israeli left; that they declined.

Around midnight, Mr Netanyahu's party accused his former political rival, Mr Lieberman, of attempting to oust the prime minister because of a thirst for power.

However, Mr. Lieberman has surrounded his feet by refusing to change his position.

The news reveals the Prime Minister's growing political weakness and his political rivals seem well aware of his vulnerability. some might even argue over a position, feeling that his decade in power may be entering its final stages.

What happens next?

Netanyahu – who is about to become Israel's most senior prime minister in July – will remain in power until the September vote.

The elections are likely to follow the same lines as the tight vote in April, when Netanyahu clashed with his toughest competitor in years, former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

No party has ever won a majority in Israel's 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, and the country has always had coalition governments.

This means that the Prime Minister is not always the person whose party wins the most votes, but the one who manages to gather enough parties to control at least 61 of the 120 seats in the Knesset.

Mr Netanyahu faces another challenge in the coming months in the form of possible charges of fraud and corruption and has been accused of attempting to guarantee himself immunity from prosecution.

He would also have accepted gifts from wealthy businessmen and would have offered favors to try to get a more positive press coverage. Mr. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.

If he is indicted, the Supreme Court will determine if he should resign.

Source: BBC

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