Yamina Getting Behind Likud Move to Direct PM Election

As Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏’s deadline for forming a government approached at midnight Tuesday, the chances of another round of elections appeared to grow.

Naftali Bennett’s Yamina party was poised to support a bill sponsored by Likud to hold a direct vote for prime minister that would not affect the composition of the Knesset as of the last elections, The Times of Israel reported.

A party source quoted in media reports said that the voted, expected later on Tuesday, would only lift a requirement for legislative proposals to be put on hold for 45 days before coming up for Knesset approval, not on the bill itself.

“Later, in accordance with the situation, we’ll make a decision concerning the continued advance of the bill. We can advance or hold it up at any stage,” the source said.

Meanwhile, it was reported that President Reuven Rivlin was likely to hand the mandate to Yair Lapid rather than Bennett after the midnight deadline expires.