Proposals for Electoral Reform in the Knesset

The Knesset in the Governing System

The Electoral System in Israel

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Proposals for Electoral Reform in the Knesset

Throughout the years since the establishment of the State of Israel, there have been various proposals for electoral reform because of the large number of parties in Israel and the resulting difficulties in forming governments after elections. The goal of those making the proposals has usually been to reduce the number of parties and thus facilitate the process of forming governments after elections. All of the proposals have included elements of regional elections, but none of them ever progressed beyond the first reading in the Knesset. The introduction of the system of direct elections for the prime minister (enacted in 1992 and repealed in 2001) resulted, to a large extent, from the failure to introduce electoral reform.

Since the 1950's, from time to time, proposals have been raised for reforming the nationwide-proportional system of elections current in Israel. The intention of the proposals has been to bring about a reduction in the number of parties, or to improve the electoral chances of particular parties. Amongst the proposals raised (all of them as private members bills) were the following:

*The country is to be divided into 120 constituencies, in each of which one representative will be elected in a single round of elections. This "direct-majoritarian" system exists in Great Britain. David Ben Gurion was one of those who proposed this system in the 1950's. On June 13, 1980, a bill based on this system was tabled by MKs Igael Hurvitz and Zalman Shoval (both from Telem), passed a preliminary reading. The main shortcoming of this system is in the relative majority when there are more than two candidates for one seat: The candidate receiving the largest number of votes is the winner, but that same candidate did not necessarily receive the support of the majority of the voters in that constituency.

*The country is to be divided into several dozens of constituencies, in each of which several representatives will be elected. This system is known as the regional-proportional system, and was proposed in the early years of statehood by MK David Bar-Rav-Hai (Mapai).

*A mixed system in which part of the representatives will be elected in single-member constituencies or under the regional-proportional system, and the rest on the the basis of a countrywide-proportional system. This proposal was first raised by MK Yosef Serlin (General Zionists) in 1958. He proposed that Israel be divided into 30 constituencies, in each of which three Knesset Members will be elected, and the remaining 30 Knesset Members will be elected according to the existing system. A similar proposal passed a preliminary reading in 1972. On June 14, 1988, another bill, which was prepared by MK Mordechai Virshubski (Ratz) and formally presented with the signatures of 43 additional Knesset Members, passed a first reading. The bill offered two alternatives: According to the first, 80 Knesset Members will be elected in 20 constituencies on a regional-proportional basis, and 40 from countrywide lists presented by the parties, on the basis of the proportional number of votes which they received in the constituencies. According to the second, 60 Knesset Members will be elected in 60 constituencies, and 60 on the basis of the existing system. In other words, every voter would vote for a candidate and for a list.

Following the formation of the National Unity Government in 1984, an attempt was made by the Alignment and the Likud to reach an agreement on electoral reform. A ministerial committee was established with Minister of Economics Gad Yaacobi (Alignment) as chairman, but no progress was made.