Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party announced Monday that the right-wing bloc had submitted all signatures necessary to replace Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy.
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According to earlier reports, Netanyahu was criticized by bloc leaders Aryeh Deri and Itamar Ben-Gvir for having failed to replace the Knesset speaker almost a month after coalition negotiations began. The process first stalled due to negotiation delays with the Religious Zionist Party and later the United Torah Judaism faction. The disagreements seem to have been resolved as Likud also said that it had reached significant progress in the establishment of a new government in recent days.
Upon the announcement, Levy said he would convene the plenum next Monday to choose his replacement.
He said that the bloc's demand to select a new Knesset speaker was meant to "advance legislation that will allow convicted people and those sentenced to conditional prison time to serve as ministers." Levy was referring to Deri, leader of the Sephardi ultra-Orthdox Shas faction, who is seeking to serve as minister despite a tax fraud conviction.
"Despite the incredible pain in knowing that this is the intention of the emerging coalition, I will act with statesmanship and respect the will of the voter," Levy said.
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