Following the decision to break up the government and call early elections, the Knesset has passed a bill in its preliminary reading to hold the elections for the 20th Knesset on Tuesday, March 17 2015. Earlier in the day the leaders of the Knesset factions agreed on that date in a meeting with Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday convened a special press conference in which he cited his reasons for dissolving the Knesset, firing Minister of Finance Yair Lapid and Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni, and calling early elections. He said, "It is impossible to lead the country with the present government. The role of the prime minister is to take care of the country's citizens, to lower the cost of living and worry about defense, and that cannot be done with the present government."
Yair Lapid it seems wants to be prime minister. He wrote on his Facebook page, "We're going for elections and winning."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 3, 2014
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