The leader of Israel’s Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) party, Benny Gantz, is planning to propose a bill which would ban the prime minister and other ministers from staying in office while they are being charged with corruption, Arab48.com reported on Monday.
Such a bill is clearly intended to prevent the current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, from taking office for the fifth time.
In first, polls show Gantz's party pulling ahead of Netanyahu's Likud in one-seat lead. Check out our interactive poll center and build your own government coalition https://t.co/DIlMGHnR9m
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) September 2, 2019
Reporting sources from Blue and While, Yedioth Ahronoth said that this means there would be no rotation of Gantz and Netanyahu at the head of the government as long as the latter is facing corruption charges.
#IsraelElections2019: Netanyahu, Gantz remain neck-in-neck 9 days before Israel's general election, according to i24NEWS/@IsraelHayomEng newest poll. Further, far-right party passes the 3.25% threshold for the first time in this election cyclehttps://t.co/nQh3nxFOgi
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) September 8, 2019
The same sources added that the former Army Chief of Staff would not object to rotating as prime minister with another Likud official other than Netanyahu if a coalition has to be formed after next week’s General Election.
There is nothing in existing Israeli law to prevent a prime minister from staying in office even while facing such charges until a final verdict is reached.
(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)
