Israel elections explained: How the system works

And now let's head to Israel. Israel is heading into a crucial election where winning the most votes does not necessarily mean winning power. With coalition deals, smaller parties and a possible hung parliament, the real challenge is securing a majority. How does Israel's electoral system work? We will have the numbers to form the next government. Our colleague Jyotsna gets you this report on everything you need to know about this election. Israel is heading into a crucial election. but here's something that makes its political system different. The party that wins the most votes does not automatically get to form the government. In fact, a party can't finish first and still lose power. So how do Israeli elections work? What happens when no political bloc wins a majority? And why could smaller parties decide who becomes the next prime minister? Let's break it and start with the Israeli parliament. Now, Israel's parliament is called the Knesset. It has 120 seats, and elections are normally held every four years. But unlike countries where voters directly elect a president or choose a local representative, Israelis vote for a political party, and the entire country acts as one electoral constituency. Each party submits a ranked list of candidates, and voters choose the party list they support. Seats are then distributed roughly in proportion to each party's share of the vote. And there's one important rule. A party must win at least 3.25% of the valid vote to enter Parliament. If it falls below that threshold, it gets no seats. And here's where things get interesting. A government needs the support of a parliamentary majority. In a 120-seat Parliament, that means 61 seats. But no single party has ever won an outright majority in Israel. And that means parties usually have to join forces to form a coalition government. It's like putting together a team. One party may have the most seats, but it still needs enough partners to reach 61. And those partners can demand cabinet positions, influence over policies and commitments on issues important to their voters. And this gives smaller parties considerable bargaining power. Sometimes enough to determine who becomes the prime minister. So what happens if neither side reaches 61 seats? That's called a hung parliament, when no party or political bloc has enough seats to command a majority. For example, imagine one bloc wins 57 seats and its rival wins 55. And the remaining eight seats belong to other parties. Neither side can govern alone. Both must negotiate with smaller parties or lawmakers who could support them. And those negotiations can be difficult, especially when parties disagree over security, religion, military service, or relations with the Palestinians. After the election, Israel's president consults the elected parties and asks a lawmaker considered most likely to form a government to try to build a coalition. And that person is not automatically the leader of the largest party. The candidate generally has 28 days to form a government with a possible extension of up to 14 days. If the first attempt fails, another lawmaker may be given a chance. If the process still fails, Israel could face another election. And even after a coalition is formed, the government can fall if key partners withdraw their support. Now, Israel has experienced repeated elections and political deadlock between 2019 and 2022. In the October 27, 2026 election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party are seeking to retain power. His main challengers include former military chief, Gadi Eisenkot, and former prime ministers, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, who are associated with opposition efforts to replace Netanyahu. Now, the political landscape also includes right-wing centrists left-wing religious and arab parties and the challenge for netanyahu's opponent is that they may disagree with his leadership but do not necessarily agree with one another and some parties also oppose relying on arab lawmakers to form a government making coalition negotiations even more complicated so who wins the most votes well it is whoever can bring together 61 lawmakers and keep them on the same side because in Israeli politics the result at the ballot box is only the beginning and the real battle the power often starts after the votes have been counted