Key facts
- Israel will hold national elections on October 27.
- Polls indicate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a likely defeat.
- Key rivals include former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, and former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman.
- Israeli elections are parliamentary, relying on proportional representation and coalition governments.
- No single party has historically won an outright majority in the Knesset.
Israel is preparing for national elections on October 27, a vote that follows the significant October 7 Hamas attack and subsequent conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. Despite current polling suggesting a defeat for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's fragmented parliamentary system, where no single party has ever secured an outright majority, makes the outcome uncertain. Coalition governments are the norm, granting considerable influence to smaller parties.
Recent polls indicate a decline in public trust for Netanyahu's leadership, partly due to his government's policies on religion and state, and the perceived impact of the October 7 attacks on his security credentials. However, Netanyahu is known for his political resilience, and his rivals have not yet demonstrated a clear path to forming a government.
Key contenders challenging Netanyahu include former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, whose image as an outsider with family sacrifices contrasts with Netanyahu's long tenure and ongoing corruption cases. Former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, who previously ousted Netanyahu, are also in the race, as is former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman, a hawkish critic of Netanyahu.
Israeli elections operate on a proportional representation system for the 120-seat Knesset, with parties needing 3.25% of the national vote to gain seats. The upcoming election marks a rare instance where a Knesset is expected to complete a full term, following a period of frequent elections between 2019 and 2022. Netanyahu's current coalition includes his Likud party, Religious Zionism, and Jewish Power, with support from ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism and Shas, though these latter two quit the government in 2024. Other parties vying for power include Eisenkot's Yashar, Bennett and Lapid's Together, Lieberman's Israel Our Home, several Arab minority parties, and the left-wing Democrats.