Israelis voted on Tuesday, October 27, in a national election testing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hold on power after three years of war and political division. AP reported that voting was under way in the country’s first national election since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023. No election result was available at the time of writing.
Reuters described a close contest between Netanyahu’s Likud and its right-wing allies and a rival alliance led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. The election follows wars in Gaza and with Iran, while voters weigh Netanyahu’s leadership and Israel’s international isolation. These pre-election assessments describe the campaign, rather than the outcome of Tuesday’s ballots.
Voters choose party lists rather than directly electing a prime minister. The US Library of Congress explains that the Knesset has 120 seats and that a list must secure at least 3.25% of valid votes to enter parliament. Seats are distributed through proportional representation, making the performance of smaller parties important to the eventual balance of power.
The Library of Congress notes that no party has ever secured a parliamentary majority on its own, so coalition agreements are central to forming a government. A majority amounts to 61 seats. Consequently, the vote share of the leading party alone cannot establish who will govern: the ability to assemble support across several parties is also decisive.
AP reported on Tuesday morning that identifying the next prime minister could take weeks or months after polling stations close that evening. The immediate next stages are the count and the resulting distribution of parliamentary seats, followed by efforts to build a governing alliance. The Library of Congress explains that the outgoing government continues to perform its functions until a new government is formed.
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