After firing Minister of Finance Yair Lapid yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to appoint a replacement. He has not yet reached a decision on the matter, but sources close to him believe that Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz will be appointed to the post, and will also keep his present post. Another potential candidate is believed to be Minister of Intelligence, International Relations, and Strategic Affairs and former Minister of Finance Yuval Steinitz. At the same time, Netanyahu may decide to postpone the decision until after the January 6 primaries for choosing the Likud party leader in order to acquire the loyalty of the ministers interested in the position, including Gilad Erdan. Among other things, this is also the reason why Netanyahu will not keep the finance portfolio for himself, as he did with the Ministry of Communications. In order to retain the loyalty of his allies, he will have to give one of them the senior post. Furthermore, in the government's remaining period, several measures can be taken in the Ministry of Finance that do not require cabinet approval.
Political sources believe that Netanyahu needs Katz's support to carry out measures in the Likud, and will therefore give him the job. At the moment, Katz is leading the changes that Netanyahu wants in the Likud constitution, included the reserving of places on the party Knesset list in order to make it more attractive to voters, so it is likely that Netanyahu will reward him for this. On the other hand, Steinitz already has experience as Minister of Finance and has an advantage among Netanyahu's close circle, after David Sharan, his former chief-of-staff, became director of the Prime Minister's Office this week.
The next Minister of Finance will hold the position in the transition government for four months, until the next elections are held and a new government is formed. It is still unclear what will happen with the other portfolios vacated after the firing of the Ministers of Justice, Health, Welfare and Social Services, and Education. Under the law, however, ministers cannot be appointed in a transition government who are not already in the cabinet. It appears that ministers from the Likud will be appointed to the vacant posts, although it is possible that a minister from the Jewish Home party will receive one of the portfolios.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 3, 2014
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