Israel to hold unprecedented third election in a year
Israel will hold its third general election in less than a year after a deadline was missed for any lawmaker to form a majority coalition.
MPs are now expected to set the election date for 2 March, BBC News reports.
Ahead of the midnight (22:00 GMT) deadline, they gave initial approval to a bill to dissolve parliament.
Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, Benny Gantz, failed in their own attempts following September's inconclusive election.
The two leaders also could not agree on a power-sharing arrangement.
In September, Mr Gantz's centrist Blue and White alliance won 33 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while Mr Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party got 32 seats.
With neither party able to build a coalition that could command a 61-seat majority, President Reuven Rivlin called on them to form a national unity government.
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