Haim Ramon predicts a minority government led by Gadi Eisenkot

Former minister Haim Ramon said Friday morning on Galey Israel radio, in an interview with Eli Tzipori, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “no chance” of winning the next election. Ramon based his forecast on what he described as the emerging balance of mandate counts between the political blocs.

According to Ramon, Arab parties are expected to win about 13 to 14 seats, while all Zionist parties together would hold roughly 105 to 106. He argued that this would leave only a small gap between the anti-Netanyahu camp and Netanyahu’s supporters, preventing Netanyahu from reaching the 61-seat bloc needed to form a government.

Ramon said that outcome would likely produce a minority government made up of anti-Bibi parties, and he believes it would be headed by Gadi Eisenkot. He said the central aim would be not only to take power, but also to block Netanyahu from continuing to run the country from Balfour Street or remaining politically relevant.

“The government will ensure that Netanyahu is not a transitional prime minister,” Ramon said. He added that as a result, “Bibi will retire from public life and will not continue to head the opposition.”