Knesset sources predict giant gov't

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The new cabinet is likely to break all records for sheer size, predict sources in Knesset. It will be packed with needless ministerial posts, ministers without portfolio and deputy ministers with pointless positions, costing taxpayers millions of shekels a year, because - if the polls are at all accurate - no one party will win a decisive majority, or even win more than 28 seats in the 120-person parliament.

If so, the next prime minister will have to recruit a larger than usual number of parties into the ruling coalition, all of which will claim a seat (or many seats) in the cabinet.

Without doing this, the next PM won't be able to command a decisive majority of at least 75 Knesset members, explain sources in the outgoing parliament. With a smaller number of MKs, any party would be in a position to grandstand - threaten to quit at the smallest provocation, and bring the government down. Building a broad coalition will mean succumbing to the parties' demands, which will inevitably lead to more ministerial positions, not to mention other top positions at the ministries, even if they have to be created specially.

A minister without portfolio costs taxpayers NIS 2 million a year; a deputy minister costs NIS 1.5 million a year. A minister without portfolio is entitled to employ 12 people at his or her office, while a deputy minister may have eight staffers, so one must add these costs to the bill. One must also add the budgets that will demanded by the ministers without portfolio.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1062734.html