The date for the upcoming general elections was officially set for October 27 and will not be moved up, the Knesset House Committee announced on Sunday.

The decision came after the bill to dissolve the Knesset passed its first reading in June, which could have moved the elections up from the original October 27 date set by law.

With the elections set to take place on October 27 as planned, this will be the first time since 1988 that elections have been held after a full four-year term.

Coalition whip MK Ofir Katz (Likud) told the Knesset House Committee that, “Ultimately, despite everything that was said, this Knesset is completing its full term, something that has not happened for more than 40 years.”

He praised the government’s term, saying, “We passed nine budgets and hundreds of laws that benefit the citizens of the State of Israel.”

Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik said that the reason for holding the elections on October 27 was that the date set by law had already been set, and there had been no intention from the coalition to shorten the Knesset’s term.

“There is no need for a ‘Knesset dissolution law’ in the usual sense,” she said, adding that she recommended setting July 17, Friday, as the date for the Knesset to go into recess before the elections.

Opposition calls for new government

Opposition party leaders in the bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the establishment of a new government.

Yisrael Beytenu leader MK Avigdor Liberman said, “On October 27, we will win.”

“We will replace the government of the October 7 massacre and establish a Zionist and statesmanlike government, and we will rebuild the country,” he added.