Posted on 03/04/2020 9:43:28 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Jerusalem — Israel looked set to slide back into political deadlock on Wednesday as the final votes were being tallied from the third election in less than a year. CBS News correspondent Seth Doane reports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party was holding on to a solid lead, but appeared to be falling short of the 61 seats needed to form a government.
With nearly all the votes counted, Likud led the way with 36 seats followed by Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White party, with 33 seats. The Joint List, an umbrella group of Arab-led parties, finished third with 15 seats, an all-time high for them.
Along with its religious and nationalist allies, Likud had the backing of 58 of the 120 incoming members in parliament - three votes short of the hoped-for majority. The final results were expected to be released later Wednesday. These were delayed because of new verification procedures and complications arising from tallying some 4,000 ballots cast by Israelis confined to home quarantine after possible exposure to the coronavirus.
Election workers were counting those ballots while wearing surgical masks and gloves. Israel has reported 15 cases of the new coronavirus, which has infected tens of thousands and killed at least 3,100 people worldwide.
Netanyahu, set to go on trial on corruption charges in two weeks, claimed victory after exit polls projected his Likud party as the largest faction in parliament in Monday's election. But late fluctuations in the official returns signaled that Israel's year of deadlock is far from over.
Although Netanyahu's opponents together are projected to hold a 62-seat majority, they are deeply divided and unlikely to cooperate. They include the predominantly Arab Joint List and the secular nationalist faction led by Avigdor Lieberman, who has ruled out any alliance with Arab politicians.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
The inherent problem with multiple parties
I guess the military vote did not help him out after all.
Imagine if American politics were like this? The left would be in love with such a circus.
The same subversive soroznazi and a hundred front groups funding and organization is trying to destroy Israel and UK and several more nations mostly in the west —as is working at undermining USA. I it’s difficult to overcome such large scale $ pouring into your country and through so many channels.
Bibi will form a minority government in stead of a fourth election - negotiations underway
It would come as no surprise if new party were to arise, probably consisting of a mere three or four menbers, just enough to produce a majority coalition. And the Joint List, Obama, Kerry, the French, and other haters of Israel will just have to suck it.
It sounds like this Liberman prick is on the cusp of accepting a Gantz government backed by the Arab parties.
Sickening.
Proportional representation is ridiculous and a boon to the left worldwide. Look at the mess in Ireland too.
From the article:
“the secular nationalist faction led by Avigdor Lieberman, who has ruled out any alliance with Arab politicians”
Where do you get that Liberman is on the cusp of accepting ruling in a coalition with the Arab parties? Or that Gantz would want to lead such a coalition? Gantz signed on to President Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” and, besides, making a deal with the Arab parties would mean that he would have a very short career in Israeli politics.
I thought that I read a day or two ago that Netanyahu had secured a clear majority this time, unlike the last two elections where he and Gantz essentially tied in the number of MK's in their "coalition" ::sigh::
Since its clear that Netanyahu won't put his ego aside and let someone else in Likud be the party leader (and sadly his fan club on FR is all for having him as caretaker PM forever), there is only one way to resolve this neverending stalemate in the Israeli government:
Have a one-time runoff referendum and ask Israeli voters: "Regardless of which party controls parliament, who do you want as Prime Minister of the nation? A) Netanyahu B) Gantz C) Other (write-in)
Whoever gets the most votes is the next Prime Minister for a FULL TERM, regardless of how many seats his party has in government. He can then appoint whoever he wants to his cabinet posts. END OF STORY.
It was article quoting an anonymous Likud minister. Perhaps it was disinformation meant to scare Lieberman
Lieb has a point about the ultra-O parties but for cripes sake that’s no reason to force 3 elections and risk the left coming to power.
Anyway, throwing Netanyhu under the bus seems like an easy solution but I understand why it hasn’t happened, he’s very popular with his base there, they probably view this as akin to impeachment.
For Netanyahu, its no government that includes the Arab List parties or any party dedicated to breaking apart Israel.
For Gantz, its no government that includes Netanayhu as one of the officials in power, or any indicted person in government.
For LIEberman, its no government that includes the "ultra-Orthodox parties" pulling the strings and caves to their special religious demands.
So unless one of the party leaders betrays the very thing that got them votes in the first place, we're looking at endless deadlock.
I dunno, let's try transplanting this system into American culture. Suppose Trump was sitting there as a"intermin President" under a caretaker government where his MAGA party had 8 seats, right-wingers overall had 47 seats in the Senate, and the RATs only had 3 seats in the Senate and had to rely on a coalition of four different center-right parties, of which Mitt Romney and his Secure Partnership Party had the most seats, they had 6 and the Senators willing to support a Romney Presidency took it up to 45 seats. They had three straight elections in a role in a row and still nobody can get 51 Senators to form a government. There is zero chance of a RAT government, the best they can hope for a Romney government, but Romney can't get to 51 because Senator Bernie Sanders, the leader of the Socialism for All Party, refuses to back a Romney government unless Romney promises to abolish capitalism, and Romney won't agree to that. So Trump remains as intermin President with no government.
I don't think the remaining RAT senators and their paltry three seats would be too pleased with those results.
We would NEVER have a stable government under proportional representation parliamentary system. It would be an unmitigated disaster.
Look at Ireland with no PM yet, this country would be going crazy under those circumstances. And Israel? With like a year of a “caretaker” government, OMG. Imagine the talking heads every night, Chris Matthews would stroke out with daily updates on the Pothead party’s ongoing negotiations with Mormon Alliance on whether they can accept rotating the office of Prime Minster.
The federal govt has been permanently taken over by the 2 parties. Private, corporate organizations.
And this is a Republic?
The alternative is what?
Parties are just people working together.
They need to get rid of their modern western secular form and begin the process of restoring the ancient Torah state.
Parties are national corporations with paid professional employees. Top down management
Who’ve made it very difficult for anyone to run for office outside the party structure.
Violates 14th Amendment
Couldn’t stop Teddy Roosevelt, and we got 8 years of ckufing Wilson because of it.
Trump ran within the party and won.
As long and we have first past the post voting we’re gonna have exactly 2 major parties. Bad guys will organize so we have to do the same.
Does it suck? Sucks less than any alternative I can think of other than maybe a benevolent state where decent people with guns decide that welfare queens and college feminists and the like no longer get a say.
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