Ohana says he’ll allow debate on new Knesset speaker if request comes from majority

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana says he will schedule an early discussion on electing his successor if a majority of lawmakers formally request one, responding to calls by Yisrael Beytenu and the Democrats to hold a vote at next week’s opening session of the new Knesset.

“The customary time to elect a Knesset speaker is when the government is formed,” Ohana, a Likud MK, writes in a statement addressed to leaders of the four-party Jewish-led opposition bloc and the Arab parties. The exception, he says, would be if a letter is signed by at least 61 lawmakers asking to elect a speaker earlier.

“We will respect the members of Knesset, and if a majority of them request such a debate, I will schedule it for an earlier date, no later than a week from now,” he says.

Ohana says he will not resist giving up his position as speaker, adding, “The media can stop promoting conspiracy theories.”

The statement follows separate letters from Yisrael Beytenu and the Democrats demanding that the election of a new speaker be placed on the agenda for Tuesday’s inaugural session of the 26th Knesset.

Following Ohana’s statement, the Arab-majority Joint List says that it will also formally request that he convene “an urgent, immediate session” to elect a new speaker.

The parties opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc have the numbers to replace Ohana, holding 67 seats, but have yet to agree on a successor. Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad has proposed outgoing Opposition Leader party No. 2 Yair Lapid, whose candidacy is also backed by Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, but Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar reportedly wants the position for one of its own lawmakers, a demand rejected by the other parties.