Israeli lawmakers have voted in favor of dissolving parliament following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to form a coalition government. The move comes after weeks of difficult negotiations.
The Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, voted 74-45 in favor of dissolving itself and setting elections for September 17.
Netanyahu appeared to have secured a record fifth term as prime minister after his Likud party won 35 of the Knesset’s 120 seats in Israel’s April 9 election. However, he failed to establish a parliamentary majority after weeks of difficult negotiations with far-right groups.
At the heart of the impasse was a military conscription bill governing exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students.
It is the first time in Israel’s history that a prime minister-designate has failed to form a coalition.