MKs pass first reading of bill to dissolve parliament; final votes imminent

The Knesset passes the first reading of the bill to dissolve parliament and set elections for April 9 following a six-hour debate that likely included the final plenary speeches for at least some of the lawmakers present.

Voting by 104 to 0 in favor of the government bill, MKs take a decisive step toward concluding the work of the 20th Knesset and officially launching the three-month campaign leading up to the national ballot.

Several identical bills presented by the opposition parties also pass, with slightly reduced majorities.

The bills now return to the Knesset House Committee for deliberation, where they will be united into one proposal ahead of second and third readings expected to take place later tonight.

In the plenary’s second session, the bill will face two separate votes: the first on each of the two clauses in the bill, and the second on the bill as a whole. If the final vote passes with even a simple majority of 1-0, the Knesset will automatically disperse.

The first clause of the no-frills bill states the 20th Knesset will “dissolve itself ahead of elections,” and the second sets the date, agreed upon by coalition and opposition parties, for April 9, 2019.

— Raoul Wootliff