The process of bringing forward the elections will begin tomorrow with the preliminary reading of the bill for the Knesset's dissolution. The bill, which was submitted by the Meretz and Labor factions, will also be supported by the Likud faction, thus beginning the process of dissolving the 19th Knesset.
The Knesset plenum will convene next week to approve the Knesset dissolution bill on its second and third readings. It has not yet been decided whether the vote will be held next Monday, or be postponed until Wednesday in order to enable the Knesset to approve more bills on the agenda, first and foremost the Infiltrators bill, which the Likud wants approved on its second and third readings before the Knesset is dissolved.
By law, legislative continuity does not apply to bills that have been approved only on their preliminary reading; these will not survive after the current Knesset. On the other hand, the legislative process can continue in the next Knesset for bills that have been approved on their first reading. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the Likud will seek to approve as many bills as possible next week.
The law states that as soon as the Knesset is dissolved, elections must be held within 3-5 months. The coalition factions will probably reach agreement on elections at the end of March, but it is possible that the election campaign will stretch into April. The dates currently under consideration are March 17 and March 24. It is most likely that the Likud, which wants to catch the other parties unprepared, will prefer elections as soon as possible.
Parties that elect their list will complete their primaries by election day. The Likud primary for party leader is scheduled for January 6, and the elections for the party list will probably take place on the same date, or two weeks later. The Labor Party does not need to hold elections for party leader, but no date has yet been set for the list itself. At the same time, Moshe Kahlon, Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Liberman, Shas, and Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid will form their lists and present them to the public.
Following the elections, the process of recommendations by the parties to the President will begin, and after the person to form the next government is decided, coalition negotiations will begin. At the same time, the Knesset will be sworn in, after which the government will also be formed. Budget discussions will began only after the Passover recess, and final approval of the budget will probably take place only in late July 2015.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 1, 2014
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