Ex-MK says his new party will push law to outlaw Knesset defectors
Eli Avidar calls for legislation that would prevent repeat of desertions that brought down coalition, vows his Israel Free and Democratic party ‘will run to the end’
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Former lawmaker Eli Avidar on Saturday vowed his new Israel Free and Democratic party will push for legislation outlawing defections by Knesset members.
The outgoing government was hobbled from the outset by defectors and ultimately felled by rebel coalition MKs, leading to the Knesset’s disbandment and early elections.
“It can’t be that the [Idit] Silman precedent happens in the future,” Avidar said at a cultural event in Netanya, referring to the Yamina lawmaker whose defection from the coalition deprived the government of a parliamentary majority and helped fuel its collapse.
Current law allows Knesset factions to sanction MKs who defect from the coalition, such as Yamina’s Amichai Chikli, crimping their ability to run in elections without resigning from the Knesset. There is no legal mechanism, however, for stopping a lawmaker from defecting.
Avidar, a former Yisrael Beytenu member, stepped down from the Knesset this week to lead his nascent party ahead of the November 1 vote.
Some other MKs have also resigned from the Knesset in the election lead-up; Silman will likely have to follow suit to run with another party, after her bid to split from Yamina was blocked Monday by several coalition members in retaliation for her defection.
Avidar’s former party is also championing a proposal that would make it more difficult to bring down a government.
In his remarks Saturday, Avidar reiterated his willingness to run on a joint slate with other factions, but vowed “we’ll run to the end” regardless.
“The voters who lost faith in the parties of the [center-left] bloc will vote for us,” he said.
Party slates must be finalized and submitted by September 15.
Avidar, who rose to relative prominence for his active role in the 2020-2021 anti-corruption protests against then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, split with the government and his former party in February. Declaring his party earlier this month, Avidar blasted his erstwhile allies for failing to pass a law to block Netanyahu from retaking power due to the ex-premier’s indictment on graft charges.
Recent polls have forecast that Avidar’s party will not come close to clearing the minimum vote threshold needed to enter the Knesset.
The Times of Israel Community.