Knesset Speaker Sets Vote for Successor Amid Political Maneuvering

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana announced that a vote to elect a new speaker will take place on Tuesday, November 17, at 4:00 PM. This decision follows a demand from 67 lawmakers of the "change bloc" to place the matter of replacing the parliament's speaker on the agenda of a plenary session, setting a specific date for Ohana's departure.

Matan Kahana from the "Yashar!" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, has been nominated as the candidate to replace Ohana. The current Knesset speaker noted that he received an unusual request to hold the vote before a new government is formed. Typically, the Knesset speaker is elected after a new government is sworn in, but Ohana stated he intends to comply with the majority of lawmakers' demand.

Despite agreeing to hold the vote, Amir Ohana sharply criticized the opposition's initiative. He asserted that the early replacement of the speaker is linked to an attempt to pass legislative changes that would expand the powers of the government's legal advisor. "Unfortunately, according to media reports, the unusual demand to elect a Knesset speaker not at the time of the new government's swearing-in is aimed at advancing legislation that will grant enormous powers to the government's legal advisor and further exacerbate the imbalance between the elected government and the bureaucratic apparatus," Ohana stated. He emphasized that he respects the will of the majority of deputies and will convene the session as scheduled.

The candidacy of Matan Kahana is part of a broader agreement among the leaders of the "change bloc" regarding the distribution of leadership positions in the new Knesset. Under this agreement, Roi Folkman is slated to head the Organizational Committee, Avigdor Lieberman the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and Liran Avissar Ben Horin the Finance Committee. The election of a new Knesset speaker will require the support of a majority of the deputies participating in the vote.