Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, October 9 called for elections early next year instead of as scheduled in October 2013, saying that conversations with his coalition partners had proved it would be impossible to pass “a responsible budget” with deep cuts, The New York Times reported. The balloting could be as early as Jan. 15, but many here have speculated it would be set for mid-February, which would make Netanyahu’s the first Israeli government in more than two decades to complete a four-year term. Analysts said the critical question of the campaign was not whether Netanyahu would win, but whether he would retain what are known as his “natural allies” — right-wing and religious parties — or make a move to the center to form a broader, or at least different, coalition, perhaps with different priorities.