Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined not to elect any of the presidential candidates, and is considering starting next week the procedures for enactment of a lightning law to postpone the presidential elections by six months. This is to allow for a reconsideration of the entire presidential issue. This is reported this morning by Israel Hayom. During the period in which the elections are postponed, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein will temporarily serve as acting president.
Although it is still unclear whether there is a majority for the move in the political system, Netanyahu's associates have made it clear that he is seriously considering starting the legislative process next week, after his return from Japan towards the end of the week. Netanyahu does not intend to settle for postponing the elections, but is currently considering another move to be promoted in the next six months - reducing the president's authority in assigning the task of forming a government to a candidate after the Knesset elections.
Lapid is also in favor.
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Netanyahu has begun a round of consultations with the heads of the parties in the coalition on the issue, and currently one of the following three alternatives is being considered: stipulating in the law that the chairman of the largest party in the Knesset will automatically form the government; alternatively, the possibility of returning to direct election of the prime minister in two ballots is being considered; and a proposal to move to a presidential regime is also being discussed. It should be noted that Netanyahu's proposal, according to which the head of the largest party will automatically form the government, without the president having any involvement in the matter, is supported by two similar proposals by Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, and the movement's chairman Tzipi Livni. "Only in this way will the factions' blackmail march on the way to forming the coalition stop," Livni said.
Speculations about why Netanyahu wants to abolish the presidency range from his inability to find a candidate close to his heart to the fear that after the next elections, the elected president of the state will be the one to decide who will head the government. For, according to all estimates, the results of the next elections will bring a host of medium-sized parties to the Knesset. In such a situation, the candidate who will form the government will depend on recommendations to the president – who will decide who has the best chances of forming a government.
Rivlin actually supports
Surprisingly, presidential candidate Reuven Rivlin supports an initiative that would curtail his authority, if elected. Rivlin also believes that the government should be formed by the head of the largest party.
The one who came out against it was Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who wrote on his Facebook page: "I will oppose any attempt to postpone the presidential election date or to cancel the institution of the presidency on the eve of the contest." In addition to Sa'ar, MK Haim Katz also expressed opposition to postponing the presidential election. Katz, one of the leading supporters of Rivlin, said yesterday: "My friends in the Likud and I will not give in to an attempt to change the Basic Law for personal reasons. We will oppose any attempt to postpone the presidential election date or cancel it. I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to support Likud candidate MK Reuven Rivlin for president.".
