Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday evening that holding elections at the present time would be a “mistake,” as he faces the risk of losing his majority in the Knesset if the state budget is not approved by March 31.
اضافة اعلان
Asked during a press conference about the risk of failing to pass the budget—an outcome that would lead to early elections—Netanyahu said, “Of course I am concerned… we are in a very delicate situation.”
He added, “The last thing we need right now is elections,” noting that they would be held “later this year, but it would be a mistake to hold them now.”
Netanyahu called on his allies to act “rationally,” while the current legislative term is scheduled to end in November.
Netanyahu leads the Likud Party, the largest right-wing party in Israel. He turned 76 in October and has spent more than 18 years as prime minister.
He has announced that he will run again, and is expected to win the next elections.
Under Israeli law, failure to approve the general budget by March 31 automatically leads to the dissolution of parliament and the calling of early elections.
Since the summer, Netanyahu has been leading a minority government.
Ultra-Orthodox religious parties that withdrew from the governing coalition—while at the same time refusing to bring it down—have declined to vote in favor of the budget unless Netanyahu fulfills his promise to pass a conscription law allowing their constituents to be exempt from military service.
AFP
