Page 19 - HaMizrachi #7BackgroundwithJIF-Purim

THE ISRAELI ELECTIONS:

Everything You Need to Know

gets an extra seat, and so on until all 120 Stage 3: Presidential Decision After the unity government was toppled
seats are filled. in a no-confidence motion, Likud and
Once the President receives the Labor each had the support of 60 MKs,
Once the ballots have been counted and recommendations, he assigns the task giving the President – then Chaim
surplus votes allocated, Israel will have of forming a government to the party Herzog – the right to decide whom to
a 21th Knesset – but no prime minister. leader who has the greatest chance of task with forming a government. Peres
Yes, the head of the largest party in establishing a coalition – meaning the got the first shot but failed to come up
the Knesset often ends up serving as candidate who has the support of the with a coalition, and Shamir became
premier. But does it have to be that way? most MKs. The President is under no prime minister again.
No. It’s still only the first stage. obligation to assign the task to the leader
of the largest party in the Knesset if that The second candidate has 28 days to
Stage 2: Party Recommendations party does not have the most support. form a coalition, with no possibility of
an extension. The law also provides for
All elected parties can now recommend The President is also authorized to the possibility that the second candidate
a candidate for prime minister (though recommend a unity government, in will fail, in which case a majority of MKs
they are not obligated to do so), and which two parties share power and can ask the President to task another
submit the recommendation to the rotate the premiership, but does not have candidate with forming a coalition in
President. They can recommend the the power to impose it against their will. just 14 days. If the third candidate fails
head of any of the elected parties, as well, the Knesset is dispersed and new
including their own. Stage 4: Coalition Building elections are held within 90 days.
One of the major factors in this decision is The candidate chosen by the President, Stage 5: Knesset Confirmation
which parties will serve in the governing after consultation with the Knesset, does
coalition. Even the largest party can’t go it not become prime minister until he or Once the prime minister-designate has
alone, since partners are needed to form a she forms a coalition that is confirmed formed a government, the coalition
coalition of at least 61 MKs before a new by the Knesset. must report to the Knesset what its
government can be sworn in. basic policies are, which parties are in
The candidate has 42 days to form a the coalition and who will get which
Since there can be no prime minister coalition (well, 28 days plus a 14-day portfolio in the cabinet.
without a coalition, the premiership is extension the President can grant). If the
always a function of both the size of the candidate fails to win the support of at The Knesset needs to confirm
largest party and the size of its political least 61 MKs in that time, the President the coalition in an investiture
vote – essentially the opposite of a
bloc, says Reuven Hazan, chairman of can task another candidate with forming no-confidence motion. Then the Prime
the Political Science Department at the a coalition. Minister and the new government,
Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
That happened to Shimon Peres in 1990, Israel’s 35th, will be sworn into office.
But the issue of political blocs often during what has become known as “the (Adapted from an article that first appeared
takes on an outsize role because the stinking maneuver.” Peres, who was in Haaretz.)
largest parties nowadays rarely secure chairman of the Labor Party at the time,
over 30 seats. “The further a party gets had attempted to withdraw from a unity Shoshana Kordova is a freelance writer,
from 61 seats, the more important its government with Yitzhak Shamir’s Likud editor and content strategist
partners are,” says Hazan. and form a government with Shas. shoshanakordova@gmail.com

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