At Premier Menachem Begin’s request, the Knesset’s Legal Committee agreed today to postpone its vote on an election date until next Tuesday. The delay drew angry comments from opposition members and even committee chairman David Glass, of the National Religious Party, indicated that he had hoped for an earlier decision.
Begin said he asked that the vote be deferred so that he could consult with the Education Ministry as to whether holding elections before the summer recess would affect school work. Most polling places are located in schools. But the problem that seems to worry Begin never rose before because election day is a national holiday when no classes are held.
When the committee does get around to voting it is expected to recommend elections on June 23 or June 30. Those dates would represent a compromise between the government-initiated bill for elections on July 7 and opposition proposals for elections in April or May.
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