The final date for new elections has not yet been set, and a final decision will be made on Monday. Several factions, including Shinui, National Union, and the Arabs, want them to be held on Jan. 14, while Labor and Meretz demand that the date be two weeks later. MK Ophir Pines of Labor accuses the Likud of trying to steal the elections, while Likud MK Michael Eitan said that no one is stealing anything - "except for the public taking away your mandates [in the coming election]."
The earlier date will present logistic problems, according to Central Elections Board Director Tamar Edri. She says that it will be very difficult to properly prepare for elections sooner than the end of January. Necessary preparations include updating the voting rolls and mailing out notifications; printing voting slips for the participating political parties, though it is not yet known which parties might join up with which; preparing absentee ballots and polling stations in the army and prisons; and more.
The current session of the Knesset will end 11 days from now - except for work on the budget, which will continue in the relevant committees. The decision is officially due to the desire to prevent the passage of populist legislation prior to national elections, but observers have advanced other reasons as well: The MKs' desire to work for a prestigious spot on their respective parties' list of Knesset candidates; their desire to take part in their parties' election campaigns; and the need to prevent the Knesset plenum from becoming another battleground of election propaganda.
The earlier date will present logistic problems, according to Central Elections Board Director Tamar Edri. She says that it will be very difficult to properly prepare for elections sooner than the end of January. Necessary preparations include updating the voting rolls and mailing out notifications; printing voting slips for the participating political parties, though it is not yet known which parties might join up with which; preparing absentee ballots and polling stations in the army and prisons; and more.
The current session of the Knesset will end 11 days from now - except for work on the budget, which will continue in the relevant committees. The decision is officially due to the desire to prevent the passage of populist legislation prior to national elections, but observers have advanced other reasons as well: The MKs' desire to work for a prestigious spot on their respective parties' list of Knesset candidates; their desire to take part in their parties' election campaigns; and the need to prevent the Knesset plenum from becoming another battleground of election propaganda.