The politics of electoral reform in Israel

This article falls into three main sections. The first outlines the basic features of the Israeli electoral system established in 1949, with minor amendments in the allocation formula (in 1973) and the electoral threshold (in 1992). The second covers unsuccessful proposals to reform Knesset elections in the periods 1949-77, 1977-90, and 1990 to date. The last section explains the causes of the introduction in 1992 of direct elections for the prime minister, and evaluates their possible consequences. Since its first Knesset (parliamentary) elections in 1949 Israel has employed an electoral system with a single nationwide district, a proportional representation allocation formula, and a strict list ballot. The basic alternative considered by Israeli politicians was the employment of a mixed system. Although reform proposals have been raised since the establishment of the state of Israel, no major change of the system has taken place until the March 1992 reform of the Government Basic Law. Following Israel’s only successful vote on no-confidence, the Knesset adopted a governmental reform according to which the prime minister will be elected directly by voters. The directly elected prime minister must gain, however, the Knesset’s confidence in his or her government. The present nature of the reform is such that a possible conflict between the prime minister and the Knesset may lead to a political and constitutional catastrophe.