Israel's Electoral System
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The electoral system
Israel has an electoral system based on nation-wide proportional representation. In other words, the number of seats that each list receives in the Knesset - the Israeli parliament - is proportional to the number of votes it received. Unlike most of the Western parliamentary democracies, the system in Israel is followed in an extreme manner. The only limitation on a list which participated in the elections being elected, is that it should pass the qualifying threshold which is currently 2.0% (which is equivalent to approximately 80,000 votes). Until the elections to the 13th Knesset the qualifying threshold was only 1% and remained at 1.5% until the 16th Knesset raised the threshold to 2.0%.
Historical background
The State of Israel inherited the rigid system of proportional representation from the political system of the Yishuv (the organized Jewish community) in Mandatory times. This system was based on the zeal with which the various political parties - in which ideology and personalities played a major role - fought to preserve their independence. The justification given for the large number of parties resulting from the system was, that in a period in which major, far-reaching and rapid changes were still taking place in the population make-up as a result of immigration, it was important to enable maximum representation for various groups and opinions.
The legal basis for the system
The electoral system is based primarily on two laws: the Basic Law: the Knesset of 1958 and the Knesset Elections Law (combined version) of 1969. Since the Parties Law of 1992 was passed, only registered parties can present a list of candidates and participate in the elections.
The principles upon which the electoral system is based:
The general framework for the elections was laid down in article 4 of the Basic Law: The Knesset, and according to it the Knesset is to be elected in general, country-wide, direct, equal, secret and proportional elections. This article can only be amended by a vote of a majority of the Knesset members.
The principle of the generality of the elections ensures the active right of every Israeli citizen, who is at least 18 years old, to vote and the right of every Israeli citizen, who is at least 21 years old, to be elected. Even though the Basic Law: The Knesset gave the legislator the power to deny the right to vote to anyone as it may see fit, the Knesset has never made use of this power. Those holding certain official positions, such as the President of the State, the State Comptroller, judges or dayanim, career officers, and senior civil servants, may not stand for election to the Knesset.
The principle of countrywide elections states that Israel is a single electoral district insofar as the distribution of Knesset seats is concerned. Direct elections mean that the voter elects the Knesset directly, rather than an electoral college (as is the case in the election of the President in the United States). Equal elections apply to equality amongst the votes given, and the Supreme Court laid down that the principle of equality relates to equality of opportunities for all the lists participating in the elections as well.
The principle of secrecy ensures fairness in the elections and aspires to prevent the placing of effective pressure on voters, since no one has any way of knowing how they actually voted. The principle of proportionality manifests itself in that all the lists, which get past the qualifying threshold, are represented in the Knesset by a number of members which is proportional to their electoral strength.
The frequency of elections
The Knesset elections are supposed to take place every four years. The Knesset can decide, by an ordinary majority, to dissolve itself and call for early elections. The elections to the second (1951), fifth (1961), tenth (1981), eleventh (1984), thirteenth (1992) and fourteenth (1996) Knessets were all held before the due date. The Knesset can also decide, by a special majority, to prolong its term beyond four years. This happened in the cases of the third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh Knessets, each of which served for more than four years. The elections to the eighth Knesset (1973) were delayed because of the Yom Kippur War. Since coming into force through the new Basic Law: the Government prior to the elections to the 14th Knesset, early elections are to be held under the following circumstances: A decision by the Prime Minister to dissolve the Knesset, a decision by the Knesset to dissolve itself before its term is completed, a vote on a motion of no-confidence in the Prime Minister, and the failure to pass the budget law within three months of the beginning of the financial year.
Who can participate in elections?
The contest in the elections is amongst lists of candidates. Since the Parties Law was passed in 1992 only a party, which has been legally registered with the Party Registrar, or an alignment of two or more registered parties, which have decided to run in the elections together, can present a list of candidates and participate in the elections. Meretz, which is made up of Ratz, Mapam and Shinui, the joint Likud-Gesher-Tsomet list, and Yahadut Hatorah, which is made up of Agudat Yisrael and Degel Hatorah, are all examples of such alignments. A list which acts directly or indirectly against the existence of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people or against its democratic nature, or a list which incites racism may not run in the elections.
The distribution of seats among the lists
The lists that have passed the qualifying threshold receive a number of Knesset seats which is proportional to their electoral strength. This is done by the division of valid votes given to the lists which passed the qualifying threshold, by 120, in order to determine how many votes entitle a list to a single seat. In the elections to the second and seventh Knessets the excess votes (the votes received by a list which passed the qualifying threshold, but are not sufficient for a whole seat) were distributed to those lists which had the largest number of excess votes (the Hare method). In the elections to the first Knesset, and since the elections to the eighth, the excess votes are distributed to the lists with the largest number of voters per seat - a method known in the world as Hagenbach-Bischoff (de-Hondt), and is known in Israel as the Bader-Ofer method - named after MKs Yohanan Bader (Gahal) and Avraham Ofer (Alignment) who proposed its adoption. Two lists can reach an agreement regarding the distribution of excess votes between them before the elections.
Who is elected to the Knesset?
The candidates of any given list are elected to the Knesset on the basis of the order in which they appear on it. If a certain party received sufficient votes for 10 seats, the first 10 candidates on its list will enter the Knesset. If a Knesset member passes away or resigns his seat in the Knesset for whatever reason, the next on the list will replace him/her.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Knesset?
A: The Knesset, is Israel's parliament. It is a uni-cameral body (meaning it has one house, not two like the US). The word 'Knesset' means assembly and is based on the historic Great Knesset which convened in Jerusalem after the return of Jews to Eretz Yisrael from the Babylonian exile in the Fifth Century BCE.
Q: How many seats are in the Knesset?
A: There are 120 seats in the Knesset. The number of Knesset Members was also determined on the basis of the number of members of the Great Knesset.
Q: Who has the right to vote in Israel?
A: All citizens of the State of Israel, regardless of religion, place of birth, gender, race, etc. are eligible to vote in Israeli elections.
Q: What is a coalition?
A: In the history of Israel, there has never been one party which received a enough seats (61) to govern by itself. Thus the leader of the party which received that largest number of mandates is charged by the President of Israel with forming a government which is made up of a coalition of parties which agree to join the largest party in governing.
Q: How often are elections held in Israel?
A: Elections are held every four years in Israel. However, due to the intricacies of the political system, elections are often held early (as is the case with the current elections). According to the Basic Law, early elections can be called through any of four different mechanisms: 1) the Prime Minister can decide to dissolve the Knesset, 2) the Knesset can decide to dissolve itself before its term is completed, 3) the Knesset passes a vote of no-confidence in the Prime Minister, and 4) the Knesset fails to pass the budget law within three months of the beginning of the financial year.
Q: What is 'proportional representation'?
A: Israel's electoral system is based on nation wide proportional representation. In other words, the number of seats that each party receives in the Knesset - Israel's legislative body - is proportional to the number of votes it received. Unlike in the United States where voters elect an individual who represents a specific geographic area, Israelis vote for a specific party list which has no geographical base.
Q: Do Israelis vote for the Prime Minister and a Party?
A: In short, the answer is 'No'. Israelis vote for a party, headed by the Chairman/Leader of the party. After the elections, the President asks the leader of the largest party to form a government and this individual then becomes Prime Minister. Direct elections for Prime Minister were held 1996, 1999 and again in 2001. However, for various technical reasons, the ability to vote both for an individual and a party led to rapid expansion in the number of small parties elected to the Knesset which made the government less stable. After the 2001 elections, the Knesset passed a law abolishing direct elections for Prime Minister.
Q: Are there term limits in Israel?
A: No, there are no term limits in Israel. Party members are elected or appointed to their party's Knesset list and are not limited in the number of Knesset terms they may serve. Since the Prime Minister is not directly elected, but is the head of his/her party, they can serve multiple terms as long as they remain the head of their party and the party forms the government.
Q: Why does the government of Israel fall so regularly?
A: Parliamentary systems of government, by nature, are not as stable as other forms of democratic governments. The coming elections will bring to power the 31st government in the history of Israel. In a similar time span Italy and Japan, which have similar parliamentary systems, have both had a similar number of governments. The ruling/large party(s) are dependent on the cooperation of smaller parties to form a coalition, which leads to instability as these smaller parties can leave the coalition at any time which often leads to the fall of the government.
Q: Why does Israel have a President and a Prime Minister?
A: Israel's President is a largely ceremonial job, with the bulk of power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The President is the official head of state who is elected by the Knesset whose roles include: signing laws, chooses the member of Knesset to form the government, confirms diplomats, signs Knesset approved treaties, appoints judges and the governor of the Bank of Israel (as well as other bureaucrats). The Prime Minister, who is elected as a Member of Knesset through general elections is responsible for the official running of the country, a role similar to that of other heads of State in the West.
Q: How many votes must a party receive to get into the Knesset?
A: The current threshold for election into the Knesset is 2.0% of the total votes cast (currently the equivalent of approximately 80,000 votes).
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Azzam Azzam, an Israeli Druze who was convicted of espionage in Egypt and later released.