Prime minister in no rush to call for elections
Benjamin Netanyahu says predictions of 2012 vote are premature. Analyst: PM wants 'nine more years' in power
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has no intention of moving up the Knesset elections. “I’m in no hurry,” he said during a meeting of Likud ministers on Sunday.
The Knesset elections are scheduled to be held in November 2013, but many in the political system, including Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, have predicted an early call to the ballots.
On Thursday, Rivlin cited a fractured governing coalition, the upcoming US elections, and an expected upcoming crisis over the budget as indicators that the current government will not hold until the end of 2013.
Netanyahu’s statement came out as his party’s main political rival, Kadima, is about to choose a new chairperson following a harsh battle between former foreign minister and incumbent opposition head Tzipi Livni and former IDF chief of general staff Shaul Mofaz.
Israel Radio’s chief political analyst, Hanan Crystal, said Netanyahu is aiming to stay in power for “nine more years.”
There is no limit to the number of four-year terms an Israeli prime minister can serve.