Moshe Kachlon of the Kulanu party will be the next Finance Minister regardless of how many seats his party wins in the elections, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday morning, speaking to Army Radio.
His promise came just two days before the elections. Previously Netanyahu said Kachlon would be given a “senior financial position” in any government led by the Likud.
“I can’t establish a government without him,” Netanyahu said. “Together we will solve the housing crisis and the problem of the high cost of living.”
Netanyahu’s promise to give Kachlon the top post no matter what number of seats his party wins was seen in ‘Kulanu’ as an attempt to convince voters who are wavering between Likud and Kulanu to vote Likud.
“We’re 48 hours before elections, and it was clear this was coming. The goal is to take votes from Kulanu,” Kachlon said.
He warned voters that Netanyahu’s promise might prove false without strong voter support for Kulanu, and said:
Netanyahu has promised in the past that I would head the Israel Lands Authority, and the Finance Ministry, and didn’t keep his promise… Only with enough public support for me, for Kulanu, can we guarantee that any government – under Herzog or Netanyahu – will do things our way, not Lapid’s failed way.