Shas MK Ya’akov Margi announced that he will not seek reelection in the next national vote and plans to leave the Knesset when the current term concludes, according to Hebrew media reports citing a statement from the longtime lawmaker. The move ends Margi’s 23-year tenure in parliament and makes him the second Shas representative within a week to declare he is stepping down.

In a statement, the Charedi lawmaker said he had recently informed party chairman Aryeh Deri that he did not want to appear on Shas’s next Knesset list, although Deri requested that he postpone making the move public.

The announcement follows last week’s resignation of fellow Shas MK and former minister Moshe Arbel, who also said he would leave the Knesset.

Like Arbel, Margi did not provide an explanation for his decision. However, he stressed that he remains committed to the broader Shas movement, describing Shas as “my home,” and said he would continue serving in any position assigned by the party leadership.

Margi first entered the Knesset in 2003 and went on to serve in several senior government roles, including Minister of Religious Affairs and later Welfare Minister. He remained in the latter post until Shas withdrew from the coalition government last summer in protest over the government’s failure to pass legislation granting yeshiva students exemptions from military service.