Israelis went to the polls yesterday to elect the 18th Knesset, and the results are still being tallied.  The election process is never a simple one, and the closeness of this race just makes it harder to understand.  In this  post, we’ll try to make this complex procedure just a bit simpler.

The Knesset:

  • The Knesset is Israel’s unicameral (i.e. one chamber) legislature.  It has 120 seats.
  • A full term in the Knesset is four years.  However, early elections may be called by a decision of either the Prime Minister or the Knesset itself.
  • Any Israeli citizen age 21 or above may be elected to the Knesset.

Voting:

  • Any Israeli citizen age 18 and above may vote.
  • Voters cast their ballots for party lists, not specific candidates.  These lists are prepared by each party in accordance with their internal rules.
  • As a rule, absentee voting is not allowed in Israel.  However, there are a few exceptions: Hospital patients, soldiers, and overseas representatives of the State of Israel (e.g. diplomats) may vote absentee.

Counting the Votes:

  • To enter the Knesset, a party must receive a certain percentage of the vote (currently 2%).
  • Any party that passes that threshold will be represented in the Knesset (which is why there are a number of parties with very few seats in the Knesset).
  • Parties are allotted a number of Knesset seats based on the proportion of votes they receive.  (This is a complicated process, further details can be provided.)
  • The people who fill these seats are taken in order from each party’s list (see above).

Forming a Government:

  • The President of Israel officially names a Knesset member as Prime Minister-designate and charges him/her with forming a government.
  • To date, this person has always been the leader of the party with the largest number of Knesset seats (though it need not be).
  • The designated Prime Minister then has 28 days (which can be extended to 42 days) to form a government.
  • The government requires the support of a majority of the members of Knesset (MKs), i.e. 61, to take power.  Since no party has ever gotten 61 Knesset seats, governments have always been made up of a coalition of parties.  While a narrow coalition (as few parties as possible) may be easier to manage from within, a broader coalition (many diverse parties) will gain support from many different consitutencies; there are thus good reasons for both strategies.
  • The government takes power when the Prime Minister presents his/her government to the Knesset and 61 MKs vote to support the proposed government.  At that point, all parties without representation in the governing coalition are said to be in the opposition.
  • If the initial Prime Minister-designate is unable to form a coalition, the President may ask another Knesset member to form a government.
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