On October 30, Dalia Itzik, speaker of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, set February 10 as the date for national elections, a year and a half ahead of schedule. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni had been tasked with forming a new coalition after winning the Kadima primaries but announced on October 26 that she had failed. Ehud Olmert will remain as prime minister until the new government is formed.
Electoral system
The Knesset is a unicameral body composed of 120 members. Israelis vote in a nation-wide single district for political party lists, rather than individuals. The number of seats that a party receives is proportional to the amount of votes that it obtains in the election. A party must receive two percent of the total vote in order be represented in the Knesset. Prior to the election, each party selects its list either by direct vote, through primaries, or through the party’s institutions. In the case of the ultra-religious parties, the candidates are appointed by the spiritual leader.
Forming a coalition
Since no single party wins a majority of Knesset seats, the Israeli government is formed through a process of coalition building, in which parties with different demands negotiate the composition of the government. After an election, and following consultations with parties elected to the Knesset, the president tasks a member of the Knesset with forming a coalition. This individual is usually the leader of the largest party or leader of a party that could potentially head a coalition that includes more than 60 members. The designated member then has 28 days, with a potential 14-day extension, to present an outline of government guidelines and a list of ministers for approval by the Knesset.
Key players in the coming election
Major parties
Kadima, Labor and Likud are the major parties in Israel’s political system. Left-of-center Labor and right-of-center Likud have deep roots in Israeli society, dating back to the pre-statehood era. Kadima emerged as a centrist force in 2005 after Ariel Sharon broke from Likud ranks to form the new party. In the process, he brought together influential voices from both left and right.
Other parties
Since no major party has ever won an outright majority, smaller parties often become crucial in forming coalitions. On the right side of the spectrum, there are Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas, United Torah Judaism and a newly formed party consisting of the four major factions that formerly made up the National Union-National Religious Party. Yisrael Beiteinu favors transferring Israeli Arab citizens to Palestinian Authority control and rejects discussion on the core issues. Shas, an ultra-orthodox party, seeks to increase child allowances for religious families and also objects to any negotiations on the status of Jerusalem. It was the failure to bring Shas into a coalition that led to Livni’s inability to form a government.
To the left of the spectrum lie Meretz-Yahad, a social welfare party that supports withdrawal from the West Bank, Hadash, the Israeli Communist party, the United Arab List- Ta’al, and the National Democratic Assembly. The recently reunited Pensioners Party focuses solely on financial support for the elderly.
For more information on the different parties see our previous Background Basics.