The Speaker of the Parliament of Israel, Yuli Edelstein, resigned

Source: Xinhua Net

The speaker of the Israeli parliament, Yuli Edelstein, resigned on the 25th, which was also the deadline for the Israeli Supreme Court to ask him to organize the election of a new speaker in the parliament.

Edelstein refused to organize the election of the speaker of the Parliament, having previously insisted on electing the speaker after the formation of the new government was completed. According to the distribution of the existing seats in Parliament, Edelstein is not guaranteed the position of Speaker.

A member of the right-wing Likud, Edelstein is a political ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the caretaker government seeking re-election.

The elections for the 23rd Israeli Parliament were held on the 2nd. Of the 120 seats, Likud won 36 seats, the Blue and White Party, led by benny Gantz, the former Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht, won 33 seats, and no party won more than half of the seats and was given the right to form a separate cabinet. However, members from the centre-in-centre Blue and White party are expected to become Speakers.

Members of the 23rd Parliament took office on the 16th. On the same day, President Gantz was authorized to form a cabinet. On the 18th, Edelstein announced the adjournment of parliament on the grounds of procedural obstacles and the risk of the spread of the new coronavirus, interrupting the agenda of electing the speaker and forming a committee, which triggered strong dissatisfaction from the Blue and White Party, believing that this move affected Gantz's formation of the cabinet.

The Blue and White Party and its allies appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled on the resumption of the 23rd Parliament on the 23rd, requiring the 22nd Parliament Speaker Edelstein to organize the election of a new Speaker by the Parliament at the 25th at the latest.

The prorogation of the Parliament is unprecedented in Israel's history. The Supreme Court found that the adjournment undermined the basis of the democratic process and ruled that the 23rd Parliament was resumed. Parliament subsequently approved the establishment of an "arrangement committee" to deal with the key agenda, which was resisted by Likud and its allies.

According to the law, Gantz has a 28-day cabinet period and can apply to the president for an extension of 14 days as appropriate. If the formation of the cabinet fails, the President may appoint another cabinet.

Israel has held three consecutive parliamentary elections over the past 12 months, and the formation of the cabinet after the first two elections has ended in failure. When the Blue and White Party takes the key position of Speaker, it will effectively control the parliamentary agenda and gain the lead of some important committees.

Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving political leader as prime minister, is currently facing a series of allegations of corruption. (Tian Ye) (Xinhua News Agency special article)