2015 Israeli Legislative Election Tuesday March 17, 2015.

 

The 20th Israeli Knesset Election are being held on Tuesday March 17, 2015.

Election Schedule

• 29 January 2015 - Deadline for parties to submit final Knesset candidate lists to the Central Elections Commission
• 5 March 2015 - Election Day for members of Israeli diplomatic missions
• 13 March 2015 – Deadline for publishing election polls and predictions
• 16 March 2015 – Starting from 19:00 campaigning using assemblies, meetings, speakers, and media is prohibited.
• 17 March 2015 – Election Day. Polling stations will be open from 7:00 to 22:00

The 120 seats in the Knesset are elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency

Two parties can make an agreement so that they are considered to be running on a joint list when leftover seats are distributed

Degel HaTorah and Agudat Israel will run on a joint electoral list named United Torah Judaism

The Labor Party and Hatnuah agreed to form a joint electoral list named Zionist Union

The new Yachad party and Otzma Yehudit agreed on a joint electoral list

Balad, Hadash, the southern branch of the Islamic Movement, Ta'al and the United Arab List agreed in January 2015 to form a joint electoral list named Joint List

 Israelis vote in the second snap election in two years on Tuesday March 17, 2015 and polls indicate that right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party is facing a serious challenge from the centre-left Zionist Union

Benjamin Netanyahu(likud Party)vying for his fourth term as prime minister, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu has cast a long shadow over Israeli politics for nearly two decades

 US-educated and a leading commando in Israel’s special forces, he rose quickly through the Likud ranks and was elected party chair in 1993. Following Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination and a wave of suicide bombings, Netanyahu’s opposition to the Oslo Accords contributed to his surprise victory over Shimon Peres in 1996 elections.
As prime minister, Netanyahu opposed making concessions to the Palestinians, though he signed the Hebron and Wye River agreements with the Palestinian Authority during his tenure. He was defeated by Labor’s Ehud Barak in 1999 in Israel’s only direct election for prime minister. In 2002, Netanyahu returned to politics to serve in Ariel Sharon’s government, and again led the Likud after Sharon formed the breakaway Kadima party to push forward the country’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu returned to power in 2009 after Kadima candidate Tzipi Livni was unable to form a government, and he was re-elected without serious opposition in 2013.
Though Netanyahu tentatively endorsed a two-state solution in 2009 and entered into US-led peace initiatives in 2010 and 2013, he has clashed with the Obama administration over the substance of the negotiations and over his government’s settlement policy.

Benjamin Netanyahu is a veteran of Israeli politics who has led Likud twice - in 1993-99, and since 2005.
He has been prime minister at the head of a series of coalitions of various colours since 2009, having served a previous term in 1996-99, and has also held several other senior ministerial posts.
He has a reputation for negotiating the volatile party system with skill, but his best efforts failed to maintain a stable parliamentary majority in the Knesset elected in 2013.
His broad coalition collapsed in late 2014, prompting the March elections, and for the first time in years he faces a real danger of losing office to an alliance of centre-left parties.




Born to one of Israel’s eminent right-wing families, Tzipi Livni(Hatnuah)has transformed from a star of the Likud to one of Israel’s most vocal two-state advocates.
Tzipi Livni launched her Knesset career in 1999, quickly rising through a number of ministerial portfolios under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. A moderate among her party colleagues, she was a strong supporter of Sharon’s plan to disengage from the Gaza Strip and ultimately followed Sharon and Ehud Olmert to their centrist Kadima party to become Israel’s second female foreign minister

Tzipi Livni inherited the Kadima leadership following Olmert’s resignation on corruption allegations, but she failed to form a government and fell short in elections.
After serving as opposition leader, she resigned briefly in 2012 before founding Hatnuah--one of the few parties in the 2013 elections to openly advocate for two states.
She was the first to join Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition, serving as justice minister and again representing Israel in peace negotiations.
When her ouster from the government in 2014 triggered new elections,Tzipi Livni partnered with Labor’s Isaac Herzog to form a united center-left challenge to Netanyahu’s re-election.

Isaac Herzog(Labor Party)universally known by his nickname “Buji,” comes from Israel’s political aristocracy.

His father was the distinguished general and diplomat Chaim Herzog who was Israel’s sixth president. Educated partly in the United States, Herzog spent his military career in the Intelligence Corps.

He entered the Knesset in the 2003 election and has served in several ministerial positions.
Herzog became leader of the Labor Party last November, easily defeating the incumbent, Shelly Yachimovich. Days later, he met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to pledge his support for a two-state solution. Herzog scored a major coup as the 2015 election began by agreeing to run on a joint list with Tzipi Livni’s “Hatnuah” party and to take turns to be prime minister if they won.

The main players

• Benjamin Netanyahu: Victory for his Likud party could mean a fourth term for the veteran of Israeli politics. His hawkish stance on the Palestinians and Iran have made him popular with the right but a divisive figure.
• Yitzhak Herzog: The co-leader of the centre-left Zionist Union electoral alliance, Mr Herzog has accused Likud of depressing Israeli living standards and campaigned against Mr Netanyahu's foreign policy. He has tried to counter Mr Netanyahu's accusations he is "soft" by pointing to his special forces background.
• Tzipi Livni: Mr Herzog's co-leader in the Zionist Union, Ms Livni is a prominent advocate of seeking more cooperation with the Palestinian Authority. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party Wins Israel's election

 

Earlier exit polls had suggested a dead heat with centre-left Zionist Union.

Israel's Channel 1 and Channel 10 both projected 27 seats each for Likud and Zionist Union, while Channel 2 gave Likud a one-seat lead, with 28 seats.

Almost 72% of those eligible voted in the election, which ended at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT). The turnout was four points higher than the previous election in 2013.

With most votes counted, Likud is said to be on course to take 29 seats in the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, with the Zionist Union on 24 seats
The Joint Arab List, an alliance of Israeli Arab-dominated parties, has come third with about 13 seats, the exit polls suggested.

Sixty-one seats are needed in order to secure a majority.

If confirmed, this would indicate another coalition government led by Benjamin Netanyahu
Likud supporters celebrated after the exit polls were announced

 

There was a jubilant mood at the Likud headquarters as the results became clear

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) delivered a speech for supporters after declaring victory in Israel's election - which exit polls suggest are virtually neck and neck

In a speech to his jubilant supporters in Tel Aviv after Tuesday's polls closed, Benjamin Netanyahu said he had already spoken to the leaders of other right-of-centre parties about forming a new government "without delay" 

Benjamin Netanyahu described the vote as a "great victory" for Likud, which had trailed the Zionist Union in opinion polls in the run-up to the election. 

Benjamin Netanyahu said the result was achieved "against all odds"