Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin said Monday that if the government did not work out a budget on time, there would have to be elections. On a tour of the security fence in Gush Etzion, Rivlin said that he was giving the government until the beginning of the winter Knesset session to present its basic budget, which would be discussed and debated. If the budget was not present then, it was unlikely that it would be finally approved by the end of the year, or even by the beginning of next March, the final deadline for approval.
According to Israel's election law, elections are automatically called if a budget is not in place by that date.