site.btaTraditional Right-Wing Vote in Israel Prevailed - Bulgarian Ambassador in Tel Aviv

The traditional right-wing vote in Israel prevailed, Bulgarian Ambassador in Tel Aviv Rumyana Bachvarova told Bulgarian journalists here Wednesday. She was commenting on the results of Tuesday's parliamentary elections in Israel, the fifth in four years.

She said that such a high voter turnout – 72% - was not expected. Bachvarova sees this as a sign that voters want an end to the chain of consecutive elections, and in the end they decided to go and vote so that there can be a more stable government. 

In general, the Israeli society is Right-oriented; here the Right has a different meaning than in Bulgaria, it is also linked to the attitude towards the Middle East Peace Process, the Palestine issue, Bachvarova told reporters. In her words, the initial and yet unconfirmed results of Tuesday’s elections indicate a convincing victory of Right-wing parties and a government that will clearly continue the policy of Netanyahu’s government from three-four years ago.

The Bulgarian Ambassador commented that all forecasts include the radical parties in the government, because the Likud party has only 33 seats, and at least 61 seats are needed for the first cabinet-forming mandate. These coalitions are announced in advance, she specified. “There is this nuance here that a new radical religious party, quite contradictory inside itself, will probably be the biggest partner of Lukid, and here is where the problems start from; the question lies in the ability to solve them,” Bachvarova commented. 

The final election results are expected to be announced on Friday but the procedures for forming a government in Israel are much longer than those in Bulgaria, she went on to say. “Though it may appear that there is convincing majority, the decision on the final government and its lineup will probably not be [taken] so fast,” she added.