PM Olmert, Min. Lieberman Will Push Electoral, Gov't Reform

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman have agreed to sponsor a bill changing Israel's system of government.The proposed reform legislation will be placed before the Knesset for all three required readings during the legislature's upcoming winter session. A cabinet debate on the issue is due to take place Wednesday.The bill will be submitted in coordination with the Chairman of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Prof. Menachem Ben-Sasson (Kadima). The Law Committee is responsible for reviewing and possibly amending the legislation following its first Knesset reading, before it returns to parliament for a final two votes. If the bill is approved by a majority of the Knesset Members in all three readings, it then becomes law.Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel met with Lieberman and MK Ben-Sasson on Monday to discuss the issue in anticipation of the cabinet debate. A statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said that Yehezkel would act to garner coalition support for the bill.Minister Lieberman, MK Ben-Sasson and Secretary Yehezkel agreed upon four factors to be taken into account in the current electoral reform: regime stability, the government's ability to rule, the Knesset's effectiveness and the responsibility of parliamentary representatives toward their voters. In an effort to achieve wide support for the bill, its sponsors will focus on the proposal to limit the use of no-confidence votes, on raising the the minimum vote threshold for parties to enter the Knesset, on barring ministers and deputy ministers from holding seats in parliament (known as "the Norwegian Law"), and related specific proposals.Prime Minister Olmert said, "There is no dispute that the current Israeli system of government greatly obstructs the functioning of the government and is harmful for regime stability. Changing the system is in the national interest and I intend to make an intense personal effort to bring that about."

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