The coalition pushed the elections bill through a first reading Wednesday evening without opposition support, after refusing to allow voting in nursing homes and assisted living facilities as was done in the previous two election cycles, N12's Dafna Liel reports.
The Knesset passed the elections bill for the 26th Knesset in a first reading Wednesday evening, with the coalition voting alone after the opposition boycotted the vote. According to N12's Dafna Liel, this is the first time the bill has advanced without cross-party consensus.
The impasse stems from the coalition's refusal to allow voting in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, a practice that had been in place during the previous two election cycles. The opposition had demanded the continuation of this arrangement.
The bill's path to the plenum was paved last week when the Knesset Constitution Committee removed four disputed clauses, including the nursing home voting provision, as The Zioneer reported on July 6. The coalition subsequently declined to restore the measure, prompting the opposition's withdrawal of support.
The passage of the bill in first reading marks a key legislative step, though it still requires second and third readings to become law.
2 developments
- DevelopingIsrael bars voting booths in nursing homes, keeps them in prisons
- DevelopingKnesset committee blocks remote voting for non-care facility nursing home residents
- StrongShas and UTJ halt coalition voting in Knesset over daycare bill delay
- DevelopingCoalition and opposition both pull all bills from Knesset agenda, source says
Source and signal
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