Netanyahu inches closer to power with new parliament speaker

By TIA GOLDENBERG
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s parliament has installed a new speaker closely allied to the country’s likely next prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Tuesday’s move sets the stage for a flurry of contentious new legislation to appease the former leader’s expected coalition partners. Netanyahu is currently holding talks to form a coalition government. Levin, a close Netanyahu confidante, is set to clear the way as the parliament speaker for votes on crucial legislation seen as necessary to make the coalition coalesce. Netanyahu’s partners have made demands that critics say give too much power to extremist lawmakers and could imperil the country’s democratic foundations.