Elections in Israel

Elections in Israel are based on nationwide proportional representation. The electoral threshold is currently set at 3.25%, with the number of seats a party receives in the Knesset being proportional to the number of votes it receives.^[1]^[2] The Knesset is elected for a four-year term, although most governments have not served a full term and early elections are a frequent occurrence. Israel has a multi-party system based on coalition governments as no party has ever won a majority of seats in a national election, although the Alignment briefly held a majority following its formation by an alliance of several different parties prior to the 1969 elections. Suffrage is universal to all Israeli citizens above the age of 18. Israeli citizens living abroad have to travel to Israel in order to vote. Voting booths are made available on Israeli ships. Elections are overseen by the Central Elections Committee, and are held according to the Knesset Elections Law. Israel was ranked 47th most electoral democratic country in the world and the most electoral democratic country in the Middle East according to V-Dem Democracy indices in 2023.^[3]^[4]

^ Israel ups threshold Reuters
^ Israeli electoral system Knesset website
^ V-Dem Institute (2023). "The V-Dem Dataset". Retrieved 14 October 2023.
^ Democracy Report 2023, Table 3, V-Dem Institute, 2023

[1] Israel ups threshold Reuters

[2] Israeli electoral system Knesset website

[vdem_dataset-3] V-Dem Institute (2023). "The V-Dem Dataset". Retrieved 14 October 2023.

[vdem_report-4] Democracy Report 2023, Table 3, V-Dem Institute, 2023

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