In a last-minute reversal, the Mapai Party has decided not to support a General Zionist proposal to change the current election law and will propose one of its own, it was learned here today. In effect this means that there can be no majority for either plan and it appears that the present proportional representation system will continue in effect.
The General Zionists, under criticism from other parties in the Opposition, modified their draft by making its language more vague and by dropping requirements which would have eliminated the smaller parties from Knesset representation.
Since the Mapai Party, under Premier David Ben Gurion’s direction, favors the elimination of splinter parties, the party has decided not to back a bill which would not accomplish that objective.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
