Israel’s Central Elections Committee is set to open up registration Wednesday for this November’s Knesset election.
Parties running for the 25th Knesset must submit their candidate lists to Central Elections Committee chairman, Justice Yitzhak Amit, on Wednesday or Thursday, with a 10:00 p.m. deadline Thursday night. Party representatives who reach the Central Elections Committee by 10:00 p.m. Thursday will be able to finalize their party’s registration – including selection of a ballot letter – up until midnight.
Representatives of fifty-five parties have requested registration forms, though it is unclear how many will actually register to run in the upcoming election.
In the 2021 election, 39 party lists ran, with just one third (13) actually winning representing in the Knesset.
A number of minor parties have announced their plans to run in the upcoming election, including the Pirates party, the Green Leaf party, Yesh Kivun, Ichud Bnei HaBrit – an Arab Christian party also known as “Liberal Christian Movement” – Nativ, Koach Lehashpia, Ani VeAtah, Ometz Le’Am, Kamah, and Vatikei Yisrael.
While a number of parties have already finalized their election alliances – including Yamina’s joint run with the Jewish Home, the Religious Zionist Party’s ticket with Otzma Yehudit, and New Hope with Blue and White – other potential electoral unions could be formed at the last minute.
While the Labor party’s chairwoman recently rebuffed overture from Prime Minister Yair Lapid to merge with Meretz, both factions are dangerously close to the 3.25% electoral threshold in some recent polls.
The Noam party, which won one seat last year in a joint run with the Religious Zionist Party and Otzma Yehudit, has declared its intentions to run alone this year, after rejecting an offer for the 11th slot on a joint ticket.
Religious Zionist Party chief MK Bezalel Smotrich again called on Noam to join a joint list, however, warning that a solo bid would be guaranteed to fail, wasting votes from the right-wing bloc.