Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon is hoping to pass a budget for 2019 during the upcoming Knesset winter session, an initiative that would remove an obstacle from having the current government stay together for a full term, until November 5, 2019, his office confirmed Sunday.
Last December, the government passed a two-year budget for 2016-2017; passing a budget for 2019 would completely eliminate what is traditionally a major point of contention between coalition partners. The Knesset’s winter session, during which he hopes to bring the 2019 budget to at least a first vote, begins October 23, and continues until shortly before Pessah.
Kahlon’s office said he floated the idea, first reported by Channel 2, to other members of the coalition months ago, and has faced no resistance.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told journalists on his visit to South America last month that he is not interested in an early election, saying he knows better than to risk losing the two more years he has in this term.
Other advantages that postponing an election could have for Netanyahu is that new Labor leader Avi Gabbay will lose his luster, and, in fact, could begin to look like a lame duck as he continues to operate outside the Knesset, of which he is not a member. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid also has good poll numbers which could drop – or rise – by 2019.
However, there is also no way to know where the investigations of alleged corruption by Netanyahu will be by then. An indictment would likely hurt the prime minister in the polls.
For Kahlon, waiting as long as possible for an election would give his economic reforms a better chance of having a positive impact before Israelis go to the ballots.
Article source: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.813905
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