Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday that he was confident that his party would be a central pillar in the next government, which is to be assembled after just-announced elections.

Lieberman told Army radio that his Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel, Our Home) party, which is a major partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-led coalition, will be the second largest party in the upcoming elections.

"I am sure that in the next government I will continue to play a central role," Lieberman said.

After a nearly four-year tenure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday announced that general elections would be held "as soon as possible," for the 19th Knesset (parliament), without specifying an exact date.

Netanyahu, who made the announcement during a press conference, said the decision was made after failing to achieve a majority within his 66-seat coalition to pass next year' s budget.

Yisrael Beiteinu is the third largest party in the Knesset ( parliament) with 15 seats. The Likud party holds 27 seats and the opposition Kadima party has 28 seats in the 120-member unicameral legislature.

A number of polls see the right-wing parties, including Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu, strengthening their electoral power in the next election, presumably to be held in January or February.

Political analysts believe that Lieberman's interest in bolstering this momentum led him to pressure Netanyahu to announce early elections.

Last week, Lieberman said that early elections were crucial to avoid harming the government's economic and security achievements.