Taking the first steps toward Electoral and Govt Reform
Published on: February 4, 2013Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman addressed faction members at party headquarters yesterday and said that Yisrael Beytenu would focus on government reform – an issue that has always been the cornerstone of Yisrael Beytenu’s platform.
MK Liberman said that this issue would become a priority in the next government without the delays of Knesset committees, etc.
“Yisrael Beytenu will focus first and foremost on changing the system of government. When we announced the merger of Yisrael Beytenu with Likud in October, we said that this was the first practical step in changing the rules of the game and to finally find our way out of this dead-end,” said Liberman
Likud and Yisrael Beytenu will meet in the coming days to formulate a mutually agreeable proposal. At this press conference, Liberman set forth Yisrael Beytenu’s ideas:
- The chair of the largest party will automatically become prime minister.
- There will be only 18 government ministers and four deputy ministers.
- Ministers will not simultaneously serve as members of Knesset, thus creating a separation of powers.
- The prime minister will not be required to present his/her government to the Knesset for approval.
- The support of a minimum of 80 MKs will be required to overthrow the prime minister.
- Failure to pass the budget will not result in the dispersal of the Knesset.
- No confidence motions will require the support of a minimum of 61 members of Knesset.
- The raising of the electoral threshold from 2% to 3%
“This has always been Yisrael Beytenu’s way. I would like to implement the Norwegian Law in the coming Knesset. This will improve the functioning of the Knesset and the government. At the same time, we must remember that the major challenge for the government in 2013-2014 will be the security threats, which I do not need to elaborate on here,” said Liberman.