Barring a last-minute surprise, Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce on Wednesday December 21 that he will be able to form the next government, despite the lack of final agreements with his partners in ultra-Orthodox parties and far right.
Winner with his allies of the November 1 legislative elections, Benjamin Netanyahu has until 11:59 p.m. (10:59 p.m. French time) on Wednesday to announce to President Isaac Herzog that he has "
succeeded
" in forming the next government, thus succeeding outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
Unless he asks for a new delay.
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In the wake of the elections and under Israeli rules, Benjamin Netanyahu had until December 11 to announce his government, but he had asked for a 14-day extension, the maximum allowed by law.
Alliance with the extreme right
However, President Herzog had only granted him ten additional days and Benjamin Netanyahu could still request a four-day extension, a scenario deemed unlikely by the Israeli press.
It expects an announcement during the day, even if the next government is not yet completely tied up.
The partners are known, however, in what analysts say will be the most right-wing government in Israel's history: the two ultra-Orthodox parties Shass and United Torah Judaism as well as the three far-right parties “
Religious Zionism
” by Bezalel Smotrich, Jewish Force by Itamar Ben Gvir and Noam by Avi Maoz.
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In recent weeks, Benjamin Netanyahu's party, the Likud, has signed agreements with far-right parties providing for the distribution of certain posts such as that of Minister of National Security to Itamar Ben Gvir, responsibility for the settlements in West Bank occupied in Bezalel Smotrich, or a portfolio in Arié Dery, leader of Shass.
However, Israeli lawmakers have yet to vote on second and third readings of bills to allow Arie Dery to serve as minister after being found guilty of tax evasion and Itamar Ben Gvir to extend his future powers as minister. on the Israeli police.
rule of law
Israel's Attorney General, Gali Baharav
-Miara, warned last week that future government bills threatened to turn Israel into a "
democracy in name, but not in essence
."
security forces will deal a serious blow to the most fundamental principles of the rule of law, that is to say equality, the absence of arbitrariness and impartiality
," she said. added, specifying that the current “
legislative blitz
” could lead to “
profound
” changes and required “
more discussions
”.
The most durable of the heads of government in the history of Israel with 15 years in office (1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021) and therefore accustomed to forming coalitions, Benjamin Netanyahu must also distribute ministerial portfolios within his own training.
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However, neither the legislative changes hoped for by his allies, nor the sharing of ministerial posts within the Likud should be completed until he indicates to President Herzog that he is in a position to form the next government.
The composition of the latter could be announced next week, at the first light of 2023.
And the internal discussions of the next few days could be tense because "
there are more requests from Likud deputies for important portfolios than positions available following the agreements with the other partners of the coalition
", noted Wednesday the center daily -right Maariv.
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