TEL AVIV: Senior leaders within Israel’s opposition bloc are deliberating a proposal to reintroduce direct elections for the Prime Minister’s post without dissolving the current parliament, aiming to break the political stalemate following the inconclusive results of the 26th Knesset elections.
The latest election results have plunged the country’s political system into a deadlock, leaving both major coalitions short of the majority needed to form a government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc controls 53 seats, while the opposition alliance holds 48, with the remaining 19 seats secured by Arab political parties.
Although a combined total of 67 Knesset members technically sit outside Netanyahu’s coalition, internal rifts among opposition leaders and prior pledges not to form a government dependent on Arab parties have hindered efforts to construct an alternative ruling alliance. Amid the prospect of yet another snap general election, opposition strategists are evaluating an alternative legislative measure: amending electoral rules to hold a direct contest for the premiership while keeping the existing parliament intact.
Political analyst Ben Caspit noted that should Netanyahu attempt to force fresh parliamentary elections, opposition parties may rally to alter the electoral framework, reviving the direct voting system for the Prime Minister that Israel previously utilized in the late 1990s.
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