Already dividing roles: Abbas to Balad – "You will be our safety net"

A recording of a conversation between Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas and Balad chairman Sami Abu Shahadeh reveals how Abbas is already assigning roles for the day after the elections. In the recorded conversation, Abbas told Abu Shahadeh: "We want to take two mandates from you so we can form the government, and you will be the safety net." The article notes that the recording re-exposes the conflicting messages within the "change bloc" regarding the inclusion of Ra'am in the next government: Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot stated that Ra'am would not be part of a government under his leadership, while Democrats chairman Yair Golan said that sitting with Ra'am is "natural, correct, and appropriate." According to polls, Ra'am is expected to win about five mandates.