In Israel, legislature ratifies basic law amendment limiting justifications for prime minister removal

Earlier on [23 March], a law was ratified by a 61-to-47 final vote limiting the circumstances in which a prime minister can be removed, despite worries that it may be meant to shield the incumbent Netanyahu from any fallout from his corruption trials. The Knesset approved the bill, under which prime ministers can only be deemed unfit and compelled to step aside if the Knesset or three-quarters of cabinet ministers declare them so on physical or psychological grounds. The amended definition for the “incapacity” of the prime minister is among a number of legislative measures proposed by the religious-nationalist coalition that have tipped Israel into crisis, with the opposition arguing that judicial independence is in peril and the coalition claiming the proposals aim to push back against Supreme Court overreach and restore balance among branches of government. [...] “Declaring the prime minister’s incapacity … against the PM’s will, while he is physically and mentally competent to perform his post, serves in practice as an annulment of the election results and democratic process,” the explanatory notes to the proposed amendment to Israel’s quasi-constitutional “Basic Law” read. The stipulations fleshed out the Basic Law guidance in the event of a non-functioning prime minister, which previously lacked details on circumstances that may give rise to such situations.
Read the full article here: Al Jazeera