The Elections in Israel 1996

Introduction

Introduction ASHER ARIAN and MICHAL SHAMIR The May 29,1996, elections represented a "first" in many senses. It was the first time that Israelis directly elected their prime minister, and in simultaneous but separate elections they elected their 120-member Knesset (parliament). It was the first time that elections were held after the mutual recognition of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in a series of agreements widely known as the Oslo accords. It was the first election held after the assassination of an Israeli prime minister; Yitzhak Rabin had been gunned down in November 1995 by a Jewish religious nationalist determined to derail the peace process Rabin had undertaken. These elections also offered an unprecedented potential for popular participation with the widespread use of party primaries to determine the lists of many parties (discussed in the chapter by Rahat and Sher-Hadar in this volume), and the popular appeal of the direct election of the prime minister. Add to this the promise by Rabin to hold a referendum on a future agreement with Syria over the Golan Heights, and the promise by Prime Minister Shimon Peres to hold a referendum on a future agreement with the Palestinians over the final status of the territories, and it would appear as though Israel was entering into a new phase of its political development. There were also many senses in which the elections and their results resembled previous elections. The country seemed split down the middle regarding important policy questions; the Knesset remained fractionalized, with many parties winning representation; the balance of coalition power remained in the hands of religious and ethnic parties , as in the past. Yishai's chapter analyzes the existence (or lack) of "new politics" in Israel, and she expands on some of these themes. According to legislation adopted before the 1992 elections, but applied for the first time in 1996, the prime minister was selected using a winner-take-all system, with a second-round runoff between the two highest vote getters two weeks later if no candidate received a major1 2 Arian and Shamir ity in the first round (Doron and Kay 1995). The Knesset was elected as in the past, using a strict proportional representation list system with very few procedural or technical obstacles facing a group that chose to compete. Under the rules in place after the 1996 elections, the Knesset may remove the prime minister by a special vote of eighty members, upon which new elections for the prime minister take place. On the other hand, the prime minister, with the agreement of the president, can dissolve the Knesset; such a step would also end the prime minister's tenure and would force new elections for both. The Knesset can also remove the prime minister by expressing no confidence by a majority vote (sixty-one votes), or by failing to pass the national budget, but then new elections for both prime minister and Knesset are held. Candidates for prime minister must be at least thirty years old and meet the qualifications for Knesset membership. If the elections for prime minister are held in conjunction with Knesset elections, the candidate must be the head of a party list. If special elections for prime minister are called, the candidate must be a Knesset member. The candidate may be nominated by a party faction in the outgoing Knesset with at least ten members, provided that faction is running in the next Knesset elections, or he may be nominated by a combination of Knesset factions whose total representation is more than ten, provided that they are competing in the upcoming elections. Fifty thousand eligible voters may also nominate a candidate. A term limit is also in place: a prime minister who has served for seven consecutive years cannot run for reelection in the next election. In contrast, Israel's Knesset is elected by a proportional representation list system and very few procedural or technical obstacles face a group that chooses to compete. All registered parties may run in the election. Registration of parties is regulated by law and is quite easy, provided that the party does not oppose the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, that it does not advocate racism, and that the party is not a cover for illegal activity. In addition, it is not permitted to register a party using an offensive or misleading name, or using a name that is the same or similar to one used by another party. The...