Netanyahu inches closer to power with new parliament speaker

Israel’s parliament on Tuesday elected a new speaker closely allied to the country’s likely next prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, setting the stage for a flurry of contentious new legislation to appease the former leader’s expected coalition partners.
Lawmaker Yariv Levin’s election as speaker comes as Netanyahu continues negotiations to forge a coalition government after elections were held last month. With his religious and ultranationalist partners, Netanyahu is set to lead what is expected to be Israel’s most right-wing government ever.
Netanyahu’s partners have made demands that critics say give too much power to extremist lawmakers and could imperil the country’s democratic fundamentals, including sweeping reforms to the country’s justice system.