When is it customary to elect the Knesset Speaker?
The article examines Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana's claim that it is customary to elect a Knesset Speaker at the time of government formation. An analysis of 25 Knessets shows that in 72% of cases, the Speaker was elected before the government was sworn in, and only in 20% at the time Ohana claimed. Dr. Assaf Shapira of the Israel Democracy Institute states there is no basis for the claim. The article also notes the High Court ruling regarding Yuli Edelstein.
The article examines the claim of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who stated that "the accepted time for electing a Knesset Speaker is at the time of government formation." The article, part of the Globes 'Mishloket' fact-checking section, analyzes historical data from 25 Knessets since the founding of the state. The data shows that in 72% of cases, the Knesset Speaker was elected before the government was sworn in, with the vast majority of those elections taking place on the day the Knesset itself was sworn in. Only in 20% of cases did the election occur on the day of the government's swearing-in or the day before, as Ohana claims. The article quotes Dr. Assaf Shapira of the Israel Democracy Institute, who states that "there is no basis to say that this is the custom." It also cites the High Court ruling from 2020 regarding Yuli Edelstein, which limits the discretion of the incumbent Knesset Speaker when there is a majority of 61 Knesset members demanding the election of a new Speaker. The bottom line: Ohana's statements are incorrect.