Israel’s Gantz says his party to vote for dissolving Parliament

Tel Aviv: Benny Gantz, the Israeli defense minister and leader of a ruling coalition party, Blue and White, said on Tuesday that tomorrow his party would vote in favour of dissolving the country’s parliament over inability to pass a budget.

On Wednesday, the Israeli legislature will vote on a dissolution bill proposed by lawmaker Yair Lapid.

Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his ruling Likud party would vote to keep the present parliament. Per the country’s law, if a new parliament is unable to agree on a budget within its first 100 days it has to be dissolved and a new election called. Israel’s parliament originally faced the deadline in August but voted to extend it.

“Tomorrow, Blue and White will vote in favour of the bill to dissolve the parliament,” Gantz said in a speech broadcast by the parliament, calling on Netanyahu to pass a budget.

The Wednesday vote is a preliminary one, requiring two more readings for the bill to be voted into law.