Yesh Atid leader and Finance Minister Yair Lapid announced Tuesday that his party would oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to delay the presidential election by six months. "I will oppose any initiative to delay the presidential election," Lapid said. "This is a constitutional change that cannot be done hastily at the last minute." During the six-month delay that he is considering, Netanyahu would move to nix the power of the president to choose who gets to form the government after Knesset elections. Netanyahu has begun consultations on the matter with the heads of the parties in his governing coalition and three options are being considered. One is that the head of the party that receives the most Knesset seats would automatically get to form the government. The second option is a return to direct elections for prime minister and the third option is a switch to a presidential system. Yisrael Beytenu leader and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced Monday that his party would support the proposal if delaying the presidential elections is done with a goal of establishing a presidential system. Netanyahu had planned to present the proposal for cabinet approval this coming Sunday, but with Lapid's announcement, it is no longer clear if the bill would pass. Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) and Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (Habayit Hayehudi) have also said they would oppose the bill, in addition to the opposition parties in the Knesset, casting significant doubt on whether the bill would pass in the Knesset. Meanwhile, MK Zvulun Kalfa (Habayit Hayehudi), who three months ago proposed eliminating the presidency and splitting the responsibilities between the Foreign Ministry and the Knesset speaker, said Tuesday that he is consulting with various coalition officials about the issue. "I believe the process [of delaying the presidential election] stands a chance," he said. President Shimon Peres has also addressed the issue of the presidential election date, saying he has no intention of remaining in his role for even a day beyond the end of his term. Netanyahu is looking for an additional candidate to run for president, and among the names reportedly being discussed are Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, former Foreign Minister David Levy and former Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein has been in conversation with all six announced presidential candidates in recent days regarding the election date. According to Israel's Basic Law, the Knesset speaker must announce the presidential election date 21 days in advance. Edelstein has said that he plans to announce the date next week, and estimates are that the election will be held in mid-June. One week before the election, the Knesset speaker will announce the names of the candidates.
