National elections to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, are
held once every four years, unless circumstances call for early
elections. The framework of the Israeli electoral system is
defined in Article 4 of the Basic
Law: The Knesset, which states:
"The Knesset shall be elected by general, national,
direct, equal, secret and proportional elections, in accordance
with the Knesset Elections Law."
- General: On election day, voters cast one ballot
for a political party to represent them in the Knesset.
Every Israeli citizen aged 18 or older has the right to
vote. Israelis of all ethnic groups and religious beliefs,
including Arab Israelis, actively participate in the process
and for many years, voting percentages have reached close to
80 percent.
- National: The entire country constitutes a single
electoral constituency.
- Direct: The Knesset, the Israeli parliament, is
elected directly by the voters, not through a body of
electors.
- Equal: All votes cast are equal in weight.
- Secret: Elections are by secret ballot.
- Proportional: The 120 Knesset seats are assigned in
proportion to each party's percentage of the total national
vote. However, the minimum required for a party to win a
Knesset seat is 2% of the total votes cast.
Knesset elections are based on a vote for a party rather than
for individuals, and the many political parties which compete
for election to the Knesset reflect a wide range of outlooks and
beliefs.
The direct election of the prime minister, instituted in
Israel in 1996, was abolished under the revised Basic
Law: The Government (2001) and the the task of forming a
government and heading it as prime minister was assigned by the
president to the Knesset member considered to have the best
chance of forming a viable coalition government in light of the
Knesset election results.
Every citizen aged 21 or older is eligible for election to
the Knesset, provided they have no criminal record, do not hold
an official position (the president, state comptroller, judges
and senior public officials, as well as the chief-of-staff and
high-ranking military officers, may not stand for election to
the Knesset unless they have resigned their position at least
100 days before the elections), and the court has not
specifically restricted this right (for example, in the rare
case of a person convicted of treason).
Number of eligible voters in elections to the 17th
Knesset: 5,014,622
Israel's elections reflect the strong democratic tradition of
the State of Israel. Election campaigns are a lively affair,
accompanied by vigorous debate of the issues. Israelis take a
great interest in political affairs, including internal policy
and foreign relations, and actively participate in the electoral
process.
Only parties which have been legally registered with the
Party Register, or an alignment of two or more registered
parties, can present a list of candidates and participate in the
elections. Prior to the elections, each party presents its
platform, and the list of candidates for the Knesset, in order
of precedence. The parties select their candidates for the
Knesset in primaries or by other procedures.
Knesset seats are assigned in proportion to each party's
percentage of the total national vote. A party's surplus votes,
which are insufficient for an additional seat, are redistributed
among the various parties according to their proportional size
resulting from the elections, or as agreed between parties prior
to the election.
The number and order of members entering the new Knesset for
each party corresponds to its list of candidates as presented
for election. There are no by-elections in Israel. Should an MK
resign or pass away in the course of the Knesset term, the next
person on that party's list automatically replaces him/her.
According to the Party
Financing Law, a treasury allocation for election campaigns
is granted to each faction at the rate of one pre-defined
"financing unit" per seat won in the previous Knesset
elections plus one unit per mandate won in the current Knesset
elections, divided by two, plus one additional financing unit.
New factions receive a similar allocation, retroactively, based
on the number of seats won in the elections.
No faction may receive a contribution, directly or
indirectly, from any person or his dependents in excess of the
sum established by law and linked to the Consumer Price Index. A
faction or list of candidates may not receive a financial
contribution from someone who is not eligible to vote in the
elections.
The Central
Elections Committee, headed by a justice of the Supreme
Court and including representatives of the parties holding seats
in the Knesset, is responsible for conducting and supervising
the elections. Regional election committees oversee the
functioning of local polling committees, which include
representatives of at least three parties in the outgoing
Knesset. Anyone aged 16 or older is eligible to serve on a
polling committee.
According to the Basic
Law: The Knesset, the Central Elections Committee may
prevent a candidates' list from participating in elections if
its objectives or actions, expressly or by implication, include
one of the following:
- negation of the existence of the State of Israel as the
state of the Jewish people;
- negation of the democratic character of the State;
- incitement to racism.
Election Day
All citizens aged 18 or older on election day are eligible to
vote. Election day is a holiday in order to enable all to
participate. Soldiers on active duty vote in special polling
stations in their units. Special arrangements have also been
made for prison inmates to vote, as well as for those confined
to hospital.
Israeli law does not provide for absentee ballots, and voting
takes place only on Israeli soil. The sole exceptions are
Israeli citizens serving on Israeli ships and in Israeli
embassies and consulates abroad.
Lists and Candidates
The following parties have presented lists
of candidates to the Knesset:
Publication of
election results
Election results are published in the official gazette eight
days after the elections. The first session of the new Knesset
is held approximately two weeks later and is opened by the
President, who yields the chair to the oldest member. The
Knesset members declare their allegiance, and the speaker of the
Knesset and his deputies are elected.
Final results
Voter turnout: 63.2%
Total number of votes cast: 3186889
Valid votes: 3137205
Invalid votes: 49684
Forming the government
The government (cabinet of ministers) is the executive
authority of the state, charged with administering internal and
foreign affairs, including security matters. Like the Knesset,
the government usually serves for four years, but its tenure may
be shortened if the prime minister is unable to continue in
office due to death, resignation or impeachment, when the
government appoints one of its members (who is a Knesset member)
as acting prime minister.
When a new government is to be constituted, the President of
the State, after consulting with representatives of the parties
elected to the Knesset, assigns the task of forming the
government to a Knesset member. This Knesset member is usually
the leader of the party with the largest Knesset representation
or the head of the party that leads a coalition with more than
60 members.
Since a government requires the Knesset's confidence to
function, it must have a supporting coalition of at least 61 of
the 120 Knesset members. To date, no party has received enough
Knesset seats to be able to form a government by itself; thus
all Israeli governments have been based on coalitions of several
parties, with those remaining outside the government making up
the opposition.
The Knesset member to whom the task is assigned has a period
of 28 days to form a government. The President may extend the
term by an additional period of time, not exceeding 14 days.
If this period (up to 42 days) has passed and the designated
Knesset member has not succeeded in forming a government, the
President may then assign the task of forming a government to
another Knesset member. This Knesset member has a period of 28
days for the fulfillment of the task.
If a government still has not been formed, an absolute
majority of Knesset members (61) has the option of applying in
writing to the President, asking him to assign the task to a
particular Knesset member. Such a precedent has yet to occur.
When a government has been formed, the designated prime
minister presents it to the Knesset within 45 days of
publication of election results in the official gazette. At this
time, he announces its composition, the basic guideline of
its policy, and the distribution of functions among its
ministers. The prime minister then asks the Knesset for an
expression of confidence. The government is installed when the
Knesset has expressed confidence in it by a majority of 61
Knesset members, and the ministers thereupon assume office.
