Israel to hold yet another round of elections

Legislative elections will be held today in Israel to elect the 120 members of the 24th Knesset.

Voters will try to move past a political gridlock that has brought Israelis to the polls for the fourth time in two years. Since 2019, no party has been able to form a stable coalition government. While campaigning, current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party has touted the nation’s successful COVID-19 vaccination program. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s opposition has emphasised his standing corruption charges.

Expect continued gridlock as polls show no clear way to a working coalition: anti-Netanyahu parties are projected to win 56 seats and pro-Netanyahu parties to win 51, leaving both short of the 61-seat requirement. A lack of political cooperation in the Knesset could translate to a slowed economic recovery, as squabbling over budget details has already left millions of Israelis affected by the pandemic with minimal aid. However, Naftali Bennett’s non-committed right-leaning Yamina Party could put the anti-Netanyahu bloc over the 61-seat threshold if they choose to join forces. If neither coalition wins a majority, Netanyahu will remain acting prime minister until November, when Benny Gantz would succeed him under the power-sharing agreement established last year.