Netanyahu Announces Early Israeli Election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called today for an early election. The election was not due until October 2013 but Netanyahu said in a televised address that the election will be held in the next few months, believed to be in January or February of next year. Netanyahu’s Likud party is expected to coast to victory.

“At this time, in the face of the turmoil around us, security and economic, it is my obligation as prime minister to put the national interest above all. Therefore I have decided for the benefit of Israel to hold elections now and as quickly as possible,” Netanyahu said. (Reuters, 9 October)

Netanyahu will remain as prime minister in a transition government when parliament dissolves itself in the coming days.