Chief justice: Edelstein’s refusal to hold vote on new speaker undermines democratic process

Chief Justice Esther Hayut issues harsh criticism of Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein in the High Court of Justice ruling that he must hold a vote to elect a new Knesset speaker no later than Wednesday.

“The continued refusal to allow the Knesset to vote on the election of a permanent speaker is undermining the foundations of the democratic process,” she writes.

Hayut says that Edelstein’s refusal to hold such a vote hurts the Knesset’s status as “an independent authority [while also harming] the process of government transition,” and that his position increasingly lost its validity as more time passed since the new parliament was sworn in.

Therefore, there is no escaping the conclusion that, in the circumstances created, this is one of those exceptional cases where this court is required to intervene to prevent a violation of our parliamentary system,” she says.