イスラエル在住のゴードン神学院の同期生からの便り

イスラエル在住のゴードン神学院の同期生からの便り

 

Israel Elections 2019
Because you may be interested, I want to
explain the voting system in Israel which is
in contrast with the elections in the United
States. As you know the elections in the USA
last for a ridiculous length of time, like two
years, and that billions of dollars are spent on
candidates that could be used for much
worthier purposes.
Any citizen aged 21 or older can stand as a
candidate for the only house of parliament in
Israel, the Knesset, and every citizen of Israel
18 years of age and older is eligible to vote.
.
In order to vote in Israel a person has to present their citizenship ID card that proves that they are
a citizen in order to vote at a designated location. They vote for a party and not a candidate like
in America. They step behind a screen
where all the party slips according to color
are laid out. The voter picks the party he or
she prefers and places it in a sealed
envelope which is dropped in the ballot box.
A party must receive at least 3.25% of the
votes in order gain a place in the Knesset.
There are at least 34 political parties in
Israel. Those who earn a seat in the 120 seat
Knesset is determined by how many votes a
party receives. Each party has ranked those
members who will fill the particular seats earned by that party.
When the voting is completed and results are known, Israel will have it’s 21st Knesset, but no
Prime Minister. All the parties can recommend a Prime Minister to the President who has an
honorary and not political position somewhat like that of the King or Queen in England. The
President chooses a designated Prime Minister which is usually the leader of the party who
gained the most seats from the election. But that person is still not the Prime Minister because he
has to form a coalition with other smaller parties in order to reach a total of at least 61 seats in
the Knesset make up of his party and the other parties that join with him.
If the designated Prime Minister fails to form a coalition with the required number of seats in the
Knesset in the allotted 42 days, then the President will allow 28 days for the leader of the party
with the second highest number of votes to try to form a coalition. If that fails, the President will
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allow the party with the third highest number of votes to try. But if after the third try there is no
coalition then the President will dissolve the Knesset and call for a fresh election.
Once the Prime Minister designate has successfully formed his government, the coalition must
report to the Knesset what its basic policies are, which parties are in the coalition, and who gets
which portfolios that make up the various departments of the Prime Minister’s cabinet. After the
Knesset votes to affirm the formed government, the Prime Minister and his new government will
be sworn into office.
The current Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, of the Likud Party currently is expected to
win 29 seats while the new Blue and While Party (a combination of leftwing parties with
multiple potential leaders) is estimated to win 31 seats. It is too early to tell for sure how people
will vote. Whoever comes out with the most seats will need the smaller parties in order to form a
government.
Please keep the Aril 9th election in your prayers that God’s choice for leading Israel will be
evident.
By Frank Mecklenburg, Freelance Writer
March 21, 2019
Info from the media and an article by Shoshana Kordova in the HaMizrachi
Magazine.