Kadima faction head: Opposition scared of a Kadima victory; UTJ wants vote delayed due to Tu Bishvat.
By SHELLY PAZballots 224.88(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Kadima faction head Yoel Hasson announced Tuesday that the party would push for holding elections on February 10, 2009, 111 days after Monday's declaration by President Shimon Peres that he was not giving anyone the mandate to form a government in the current Knesset.
Hasson said Kadima would withdraw the bill for dissolving the Knesset in order to avoid a possible situation in which the bill would lead to election actually being held even later.
The announcement came as faction leaders met at the office of Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik to try and reach and agreement on the election date.
"Kadima has chosen to take the path already set by law and not to forward a motion to disperse the Knesset out of concern that this will actually lead to a delay," said Hasson. "Unfortunately, several opposition figures who are scared of a Kadima victory and who in the past have shouted 'elections, elections,' are now trying to drag their feet and postpone the date by various unusual means. Kadima aims to take the quickest route to elections in order to win, build a coalition and bring stability to Israel."
Likud faction chairman Gideaon Sa'ar also declared that his party would back the February 10 date.
"We demanded elections and Kadima joined our request very late. The correct path is the president's path, and we are satisfied that Kadima is also backing this position," said Sa'ar. "The legislative process [of dissolving the Knesset] can be dangerous because there are certain individuals in the Knesset who have an interest in delaying elections," he added, asserting that Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu would win, and form Israel's next government.
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