Israel will hold parliamentary elections on October 27 to choose a new Knesset. Voters cast ballots for political parties rather than individual candidates. To form a government, a leader must secure support from at least 61 of the 120 lawmakers. This process makes coalition negotiations central to Israel's political system.
Israel is set to hold parliamentary elections on October 27 to elect a new Knesset, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing the prospect of losing power amid growing public discontent. The election will be the country's first national vote since Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack and the ensuing wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is seeking to remain in office as his government faces scrutiny over the security failures surrounding the October 7 attack and other issues. The elections are being viewed as a test of his political standing, with recent opinion polls suggesting that his governing coalition could lose power, according to Reuters.
However, Israelis do not directly elect their prime minister. Instead, they vote for political parties, and the country's next leader emerges through a process of coalition negotiations and parliamentary confidence. Here's how Israel's electoral system works and how a new government is formed.
Israel votes for parties, not candidates
Israelis do not vote directly for the prime minister or elect individual lawmakers from local constituencies. Instead, they cast their ballots for political parties or electoral lists, which submit candidates in a predetermined order.
The entire country serves as a single electoral constituency. Unlike systems in which voters elect representatives from separate constituencies, Israel allocates parliamentary seats based on the nationwide vote share received by each qualifying party or list.
Israel follows a proportional representation system, under which parties receive seats in the 120-member Knesset broadly in proportion to their share of the national vote. This system allows multiple parties to enter parliament, making coalition-building central to the process of forming a government.
How parties qualify for the Knesset
A political party or electoral list must secure at least 3.25% of the valid votes cast nationwide to qualify for seats in the Knesset. This minimum share is known as the electoral threshold.
Seats are distributed proportionally among the lists that cross the threshold. Those that fail to meet it do not receive seats, and their votes are excluded from the calculation used to allocate seats among qualifying lists.
To form a government, a prospective prime minister must be able to secure sufficient support in the Knesset. A coalition commanding the support of at least 61 of the 120 lawmakers has a majority.
The party that wins the most seats does not automatically form the government. A smaller party may be able to assemble a coalition with enough parliamentary support, while the largest party may struggle to find willing partners.
How does voting work in Israel?
Each electoral list submits a list of candidates in a predetermined order. On polling day, voters select a paper ballot bearing the name and identifying letters of their preferred party or list. Ballots are placed in envelopes and deposited in ballot boxes.
Voters do not separately choose the prime minister or an individual member of the Knesset. The seats won by each list are determined by its share of the nationwide vote, subject to the electoral threshold.
The candidates who enter the Knesset are determined by the order in which they appear on their party's list and the number of seats the list wins.
How is Israel's prime minister chosen?
After the election results are published, the president of Israel consults representatives of the parliamentary factions elected to the Knesset. The representatives can recommend a lawmaker to form the next government.
The president then assigns the task of forming a government to a member of the Knesset considered capable of securing parliamentary confidence. Although the leader of the largest party is often given the mandate, this is not automatic. The president has discretion in deciding whom to appoint, taking into account the prospects of forming a government that can win the Knesset's confidence.
The lawmaker given the mandate has 28 days to form a government. The president can extend this period by up to 14 days.
During this time, the candidate negotiates with other parties to build a coalition, reaching agreements on policy priorities, ministerial appointments and the distribution of government responsibilities.
Once the candidate has assembled a government, it must present its policy guidelines and composition to the Knesset and seek a vote of confidence. If the Knesset expresses confidence in the government, it takes office, and the lawmaker who formed it becomes prime minister.
If the candidate fails to form a government or the Knesset rejects the proposed government, the process can move to another lawmaker. If the subsequent attempts also fail, the legal process can ultimately lead to the dissolution of the Knesset and fresh elections.
Why coalition-building matters
Israel's electoral system separates the choice of parliament from the formation of the government. Voters determine the balance of power in the Knesset by choosing parties, but the prime minister is ultimately the lawmaker who can form a government and secure parliamentary confidence.
As a result, winning the largest share of the vote does not guarantee the premiership. The decisive factor is whether a candidate can bring together enough parties to command the support needed to govern.