Deputies who will serve in the 26th term of the Israeli Parliament will be elected in the first election to be held after the Israeli army's attacks that caused great destruction in the Gaza Strip, as well as its occupation of the south of Lebanon and the war it started with the USA against Iran.
According to the data of the Israeli Central Election Committee, most of the 7.3 million voters who have the right to vote in the country are expected to vote in 18 thousand ballot boxes in 12 thousand 18 election stations to be established throughout the country.
The committee announced that 100 thousand personnel were assigned to the elections and 15 thousand cameras were installed at the election stations to ensure security.
220 MILLION DOLLARS ALLOCATED FOR THE ELECTION
It was reported that a budget of 690 million shekels (approximately 220 million dollars) was allocated for the election.
Voting will start at 07.00 tomorrow local time and end at 22.00. However, even if the polls close, every voter waiting at the polling stations in large numbers will have the right to vote.
WHO WILL VOTE?
A proportional representation system is implemented in Israel, where the entire country is considered a single electoral district. Voters vote for political parties, not candidates.
A total of 37 parties and lists will compete to send deputies to the 120-seat Parliament for a four-year term by overcoming the 3.25 percent election threshold. The votes of parties that cannot pass the election threshold are not taken into account.
In addition to Israelis, Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, whose number reaches approximately 1.2 million (approximately 21 percent of the total population), have the right to participate in the elections.
ISRAELI, WHO USURD PALESTINE LAND, ARE VOTING
On the other hand, Israelis, who frequently attack Palestinians and their properties and usurp Palestinian lands over 750 thousand living in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, also vote.
On the other hand, approximately 6 million Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip are not Israeli citizens and cannot vote in these elections, although they are directly affected by the policies of the Israeli government.
According to Israeli law, most Israeli citizens living abroad cannot vote, and voters living abroad who have the right to vote can only come to Israel and go to the polls.
Israeli diplomats and state representatives abroad are not subject to the ban.
Voting for soldiers and commanders for the general elections started on October 20 in a total of 850 centers, including Syria, Lebanon and Palestinian territories occupied by the Israeli army.
PROMINENT PARTIES AND LEADERS IN THE ELECTION
Opinion polls in Israel indicate that the election will be held between the far-right coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Zionist opposition bloc.
Opinion polls show that neither bloc will be able to gain a majority on its own in the 120-seat Israeli Parliament.
Netanyahu, who is the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history and has been in office for 19 years with interruptions, wants to sit in the prime minister's chair once again at a time when he is on trial on corruption charges.
The bloc led by Netanyahu includes the Religious Zionism Party of far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the Jewish Power Party of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Shas Party led by Aryeh Deri, the Ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism Party led by Yitzhak Goldknopf, and the Israeli People's Party led by Ofer Winter.
Former Chief of General Staff and Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot stands out in the polls as the most likely prime ministerial candidate of the Zionist opposition bloc against Netanyahu's far-right coalition.
Public opinion polls show that Yashar Party will emerge as the first party in the elections, and Eisenkot is the most preferred name among voters for the post of prime minister.
The opposition bloc also includes the Beyahad (Together) Party, led by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Avigdor Liberman's Israel Our Home, and the Democrats Party, led by Yair Golan.
Benny Gantz, who served as Chief of General Staff and Minister of Defense, withdrew the Blue-White (Kahol-Lavan) Party he led from the election.
The Ahi Party, which represents ultra-Orthodox Jews, also decided not to participate in the election after Netanyahu promised Rabbi Yosef David Abargel (party leader) that Haredim students who study at the Torah school would not be drafted into the army.
2 LISTS REPRESENT ISRAELI CITIZENS PALESTINES
Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, who count around 20 percent of the electorate, are represented by the Joint List and the United Arab List (Raam Party).
Yusuf Cabirin is the leader of the Joint List formed by the Hadaş, Taal and Beled parties.
Beled leader Sami Abu Shehade had to withdraw from the election race just before the Israeli Supreme Court discussed the election ban decision on him.
The Raam Party, led by Mansur Abbas, is remembered for its key position in coalition negotiations after the elections in March 2021. Raam, which helped establish the Bennett-Lapid Change Government by supporting it with 4 MPs, became the first Arab party to join a coalition in the history of the country.
The results of tomorrow's elections are expected to place Raam and the Joint List in a similarly key position. Arab parties leave the door open to joining the government, emphasizing that they will work to overthrow the Netanyahu government, in which far-right and racist figures play key roles. On the other hand, the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot emphasizes that it will not negotiate a government with Arab parties. Analyzes show that the reason for this is that Netanyahu frequently accused the opposition of cooperating with Arab parties during his election campaign.
HOW WILL THE GOVERNMENT BE ESTABLISHED?
With the closing of the polls in Israel, all eyes will be on the coalition scenarios and negotiations of the parties that have qualified to enter the 120-seat parliament.
The official process will begin after the distribution of seats according to the vote rates of the parties that exceed the threshold is clarified.
After the official results are announced, President Isaac Herzog will meet with all party representatives in the Parliament and collect suggestions for the prime minister candidate.
Although the President does not have to give the task of forming the government to the party that receives the most votes, he will appoint the leader who is most likely to receive the support of 61 MPs.
The person appointed to form a government will have a period of 28 days for coalition negotiations, which are expected to be tough, and an additional 14 days can be added to this period if necessary.
If the person appointed by the President cannot form a government, the President may consult again and appoint another person within the Parliament to form a government. This name must form a coalition within 28 days. If a government still cannot be formed, a 21-day period begins for a member of the Israeli Parliament to collect the signatures of 61 MPs. If 61 MPs are provided, this person must form the government within two weeks. If it cannot, the Parliament is dissolved and the country must hold elections again within 3 months.
In this entire scenario, the current Prime Minister in the country continues to serve, albeit temporarily. In this case, even if Netanyahu does not win the elections, he can remain as interim prime minister for a maximum of 6 months if the opposition fails to form a government.
Completing coalition protocols is of critical importance in Israel, where no party has achieved a majority on its own so far. If the parties reach an agreement, the established cabinet will officially take office after receiving a vote of confidence from the Parliament, and if the coalition negotiations fail, the country will hold early elections again.
