Israel

Parliament

Political system: Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament: Unicameral
IPU membership: Yes

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.

Background

Election date(s): 02 Mar 2020
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 15 Mar 2020
Timing of election: Early elections
Number of seats at stake: 120
Scope of elections: Full renewal

Voter turnout

Registered voters: 6,453,255
Voters: 4,615,135
Voter turnout: 71.5%

Results

About the election: Acting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party came first in the third snap elections held in less than one year . It took 36 seats in the 120-member Knesset, taking three seats more than the Blue and White coalition (led by former army chief Benny Gantz). The Joint List (led by Mr. Ayman Odeh, comprising Arab-majority parties) remained the third largest party with 15 seats, up from 13. On 26 March, the new legislature elected Mr. Gantz as its new Speaker.

As was the case in the two previous snap elections in 2019 (following which, no government had been formed), lengthy coalition talks followed. Neither Mr. Netanyahu (seeking a record fifth term in office) nor Mr. Gantz managed to form governing coalitions and President Reuven Rivlin refused to give additional time for the coalition talks. Although Mr. Gantz initially refused to join the government led by Mr. Netanyahu due to the criminal charges brought against the latter , the COVID-19 pandemic subsequently pushed the two largest forces to form a unity government, which was sworn in on 17 May (see note 1). Mr. Netanyahu will serve as Prime Minister for the first 18 months and Mr. Gantz will serve out the remainder (see note 2). The major electoral issues included the annexation of a part of the occupied West Bank, in particular, the Jordan Valley .

Note 1:

Before the formation of the new government, 16 members, including former Finance Minister Yair Lapid, left the Blue and White coalition in protest against the coalition’s deal with Likud and formed a new faction (Yesh Atid-Telem) in the Knesset. Two members left the new faction and formed Derech Eretz (The Way of the Land) which in turn joined the unity government.

Note 2:

On 15 May, Mr. Gantz resigned as Speaker ahead of his appointment as Alternate Prime Minister . On 17 May, the Knesset elected Mr. Yariv Levin (Likud) as Speaker.
Number of parties winning seats: 8
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition: 30.0%
Alternation of power after elections: Not applicable
Number of parties in government: 8
Names of parties in government: Likud, Blue and White, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Labour, Gesher, Derech Eretz, Yemina

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group	Total
Likud	36
Blue and White	33
Joint List	15
Shas	9
United Torah Judaism (Yahadut Hatorah)	7
Labour-Gesher-Meretz	7
Yisrael Beiteinu	7
Yemina	6

Members elected, by sex

Number of men elected: 90
Number of women elected: 30

Notes:
In the 2020 elections, 30 women were elected but one of them was not sworn into the Knesset due to health reasons and was replaced by a male next-in-line candidate of the same party (Blue & White).

Consequently, there were 29 women at the first session held on 16 March.
Percentage of women elected: 25.0%
Women Directly Elected: 30
Other notes on the elections: Note on the Expected date of next elections:

*The first Tuesday of the month of Cheshvan in 2024, given that the outgoing legislature was elected through early elections and the year preceding 2024 is a leap year according to the Jewish calendar.
Sources: Knesset (04.03.2020, 12.03.2020, 19.03.2020, 27.03.2020)

https://votes23.bechirot.gov.il/nationalresults

https://main.knesset.gov.il/en/mk/government/Pages/governments.aspx

https://main.knesset.gov.il/en/mk/government/Pages/governments.aspx

BBC

BBC Monitoring

https://www.haaretz.com

New legislature

Total number of men after the election: 90
Total number of women after the election: 30
Percentage of women after the election: 25.0%
First-term parliamentarians: 3
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians: 2.5%
Date of the first session: 16 Mar 2020

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature: Benjamin (Benny) Gantz (Male)
Date of birth: 1959
Political party: Blue and White
Date of election: 26 Mar 2020