From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Liberman calls for referendum on constitution within next government’s first 6 months
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman calls for a national referendum on a constitution should the opposition win the upcoming 2026 election.
Addressing reporters at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Liberman asserts that “the only way to establish a constitution is a law to approve a referendum to establish the constitution.”
“The next government will have to appoint an external professional team to bring a text of the constitution. A time must be set. Within six months, a full text will be brought and everyone will go to a referendum with the question: Do you accept the text of the constitution as is or not?” he says.
Liberman has made support for a constitution a key part of his election campaign, releasing a document containing a raft of social, security and economic measures intended to guide the next government in September 2025.
In a post on social media platform X summarizing the document at the time, the hawkish former Netanyahu ally laid out his key principles with an emphasis on defending democracy and the independence of the judicial system through the adoption of a national constitution.
“The constitution will enshrine the principles of democratic governance, human rights, and the separation of powers, limit the prime minister’s term to two terms, reduce the number of ministers, and mandate the sharing of the burden” of military service, Liberman wrote.
The Times of Israel Community.