Senior Blue&White have suggested that a vote surplus agreement should soon be signed with Israel Beiteinu, Reshet Bet reported Monday morning. The agreement, if signed, means that one of these two parties can receive an additional mandate.
In Israel, a vote surplus agreement is signed between two election slates—which are usually ideologically close—stating that the sum of their votes would be considered together in determining the number of seats assigned to them. After determining the number of joint mandates, the party nearest an additional mandate receives the other’s surplus votes.
Israel Beiteinu officials have also admitted that a surplus agreement would likely be signed between the two parties. In fact, these two parties have been left with no other options for signing a surplus agreement, after all the other parties have already signed one.
The question at this point is whether there will be more collaborations between the two parties, before and after the September 17 election.
Likud members believe that this step is another indication of Israel Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman’s intention not to recommend Benjamin Netanyahu to President Rivlin to build the next coalition government, in an attempt to force a unity government with Blue&White, Likud and Israel Beiteinu.
And there are also some Likud officials who claim that Liberman would recommend Benny Gantz to form the next government, and push Netanyahu out of the political arena altogether.
Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev (Likud) on Friday told FM103 that “Liberman will not tip the balance. The one who decides who will be the next prime minister is God.”
That’s true, of course, but it does not mean that God would not decide that Liberman decide who would be the next prime minister.
Regev added: “In my view, Liberman is very much driven by his ego and his hatred of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and in my view he cannot be appointed to the post of prime minister. I hope the public will punish him in the end, and Liberman will watch the Knesset deliberations via TV Channel 99 (Israel’s C-Span, kind of).”
A girl can dream.
MK Liberman told Army Radio in late July that he was open to recommending MK Benny Gantz as prime minister, stating: “I will not recommend a specific person, but rather the one who would cobble a broad government. I do not exclude anyone, including Benny Gantz.”
Last week’s polls’ average gives Likud 30.5 seats, Blue&White 29.5, Yamina 11.5, Liberman 11, the Joint Arab list 11, Democratic Camp 8, United Torah Judaism 7.5, Shas 6, Labor 6.
The blocs are, therefore, unchanged:
Right: 55.5
Left: 43.5
Liberman: 11
Arabs: 11
Miri Regev can say what she wants about who is the kingmaker – the fact is that Liberman is in charge. Which could very well be God’s will…