The Kadima Party is pushing to shorten the time until new elections are held in Israel.
Knesset party faction leaders met Tuesday with Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik. At the meeting, Kadima asked the speaker to forgo the three-week period before the 90-day count down to elections.
The three weeks gives other parties a chance to propose a new prime minister-designate to form a new coalition government.
If the three-week period is in force then new elections could be scheduled for Feb. 10, 111 days after President Shimon Peres on Monday informed Itzik that Kadima Party head Tzipi Livni had been unable to form a new government. But faction leaders did agree that the poll could be postponed to Feb. 17 in order to not conflict with the Tu B’Shevat holiday.
The opposition Likud Party supports the 111-day time period to elections.
The Knesset will begin its election break on Nov. 11.Prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni on Sunday had asked Peres to declare new general elections, saying she could not assemble a coalition. Livni, the foreign minister, won the Kadima Party primary in September following Ehud Olmert’s resignation.Until the new elections take place, Olmert will stay on as caretaker prime minister. New polls reported Monday show Livni and Kadima ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud Party.
