Elections

Netanyahu names the day: Elections to be held

  •   Date set for January 22, 2013, Times of Israel
  • 10/16/2012
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    The Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday announced that new elections would be held on January 22, 2013. The decision came two days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israelis would be sent to the polls “as soon as possible.”Netanyahu had preferred January 15, and Labor leader Shelly Yachimovich wanted January 29. So the Tuesday, January 22 date, was agreed as a compromise.
     
    Polls show Netanyahu heading for a smooth reelection, with a likely range of options for building a new coalition. Netanyahu, who turns 63 on October 21, was prime minister from 1996-99, and regained the premiership in elections in February 2009. The next elections were due to be held in October 2013, but the prime minister brought them forward, blaming minor parties for staking out irresponsible positions in recent discussions over the state budget.
     
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