Bennett: Party Size Irrelevant to PM Race, Recommendations Matter
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
Yamina party chairman Naftali Bennett asserted that party size is irrelevant to becoming prime minister, with recommendations being the key factor. He suggested potential alliances could coalesce around a single candidate, irrespective of their party's electoral strength. Bennett referenced the 2009 elections to illustrate how bloc size, not just mandate count, influences government formation. His comments appeared to counter a campaign by Gadi Eisenkot's party emphasizing the importance of a large party.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Naftali Bennett stated party size is irrelevant to becoming prime minister.
- Bennett emphasized that the number of recommendations determines the prime minister.
- He suggested potential alliances could agree on a single candidate.
- Bennett cited the 2009 elections as an example of bloc size mattering.
- His comments appeared to counter Gadi Eisenkot's party campaign.
Naftali Bennett, chairman of the Yamina party, stated on Monday that the size of a political party holds no significance in determining who will become prime minister following elections. Speaking to women in Herzliya as part of a campaign event, Bennett emphasized that the deciding factor is the number of recommendations each candidate receives from Knesset members. He suggested that potential alliances could form between himself, Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan, and that they could collectively agree on a prime ministerial candidate, regardless of their parties' electoral sizes. Bennett cited the 2009 elections, where Tzipi Livni's Kadima won more mandates than Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud, yet Netanyahu ultimately formed the government due to the size of his bloc, as an example of how bloc recommendations, not just party size, influence government formation. He was addressing the campaign by Gadi Eisenkot's party, which he characterized as promoting the idea of a "big party."
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