The spokesman for the government coalition in the Knesset, Likud lawmaker Ofir Katz, confirmed this Sunday that the next Israeli elections will be held on October 27, which will allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Executive to complete the current term.
Katz made the announcement public amid parliamentary discussion on a rule related to the financing of political parties. The current Knesset "will complete its term and will not be dissolved," said Knesset legal advisor Sagit Afik, cited by the newspaper 'The Times of Israel'.
If this schedule is met, it would be the first time in nearly four decades that an Israeli term ends without early elections and the first government in more than half a century to manage to fully complete its mandate.
A recent poll reflects the strong fragmentation of the political map and predicts that the party with the most representation would be Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar, with 22 seats, ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud, which would obtain 21. Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Jewish Power would each achieve eight seats, while Religious Zionism would be left with four seats.
The current opposition would be completed, in addition to Eisenkot's party, by the Democratic Party, to which 10 seats are attributed, Naftali Bennett's Together, with 16, Israel Beitenu, with 9, and the Arab parties Joint List, with 6 lawmakers, and Raam, with 4 representatives.