At stake in this election:

• 120 seats in the Parliament (Knesset)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Shimon PERES
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Ehud OLMERT **
• Assembly: Israel has a unicameral Parliament (Knesset) with 120 seats.

** After parliamentary elections, the president will usually select a prime minister that he/she feels has the best possibility of forming a new government.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by parliament to serve a 7-year term.
• Prime Minister is designated by the president to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Parliament (Knesset) 120 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.***

*** There is a two percent threshold required to gain representation.

Main parties in the of the electoral race:

• [[0.1.party_type]]: [[0.1.party_name]][[0.1.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.1.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.1.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.1.party_seats]]
• [[0.2.party_type]]: [[0.2.party_name]][[0.2.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.2.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.2.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.2.party_seats]]
• [[0.3.party_type]]: [[0.3.party_name]][[0.3.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.3.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.3.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.3.party_seats]]
• [[0.4.party_type]]: [[0.4.party_name]][[0.4.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.4.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.4.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.4.party_seats]]
• [[0.5.party_type]]: [[0.5.party_name]][[0.5.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.5.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.5.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.5.party_seats]]
• [[0.6.party_type]]: [[0.6.party_name]][[0.6.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.6.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.6.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.6.party_seats]]
• [[0.7.party_type]]: [[0.7.party_name]][[0.7.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.7.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.7.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.7.party_seats]]
• [[0.8.party_type]]: [[0.8.party_name]][[0.8.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.8.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.8.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.8.party_seats]]
• [[0.9.party_type]]: [[0.9.party_name]][[0.9.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.9.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.9.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.9.party_seats]]
• [[0.10.party_type]]: [[0.10.party_name]][[0.10.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.10.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.10.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.10.party_seats]]
• [[0.11.party_type]]: [[0.11.party_name]][[0.11.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.11.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.11.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.11.party_seats]]
• [[0.12.party_type]]: [[0.12.party_name]][[0.12.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.12.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.12.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.12.party_seats]]
• [[0.13.party_type]]: [[0.13.party_name]][[0.13.party_comments_note]]
  Leader: [[0.13.party_leader]]
  Seats won in this election: [[0.13.party_seats_won]]
  Seats won in last election: [[0.13.party_seats]]

*** In 2006, the Labor Party ran on a joint ticket with Meimad. The figures for seats won in 2006, includes votes and seats won by Meimad
****** In 2006 National Union ran on a joint ticket with the National Religious Party (NRP). Figures for seats and votes won reflect the combined totals won by both parties. The NRP has since disbanded and for the 2009 election, the National Union alliance includes a number of small, conservative political parties.
********* United Arab List ran on a joint ticket in 2006 with Ta'al, another Arab party.
************ Jewish Home is a new party formed by the merger of the National Religious Party and Tkuma in November 2008.

Last Parliamentary election:

• The last elections were held on March 28, 2006. The Kadima party won the largest bloc of seats in 2006, 29 in all. It formed a governing coalition with Labor, Shas and Gil, which controlled a combined total of 67 seats.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 7,485,600 (2009)
• Registered Voters: 5,014,622 (March 2006)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 3,789,949 (2009)

·         Is Israel a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Israel ratified CEDAW: Yes (3 October 1991)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 21 (following the 2009 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 18 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Ireland a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Ireland ratified CRPD: Yes (28 September 2012)

·         Population with a disability: 1,122,840 (est.)