Israelis head to polls in parliamentary elections

TEL AVIV — Voting began on Tuesday in Israel’s parliamentary elections, with more than 7.3 million people eligible to cast ballots to elect the 120-member Knesset.Polling stations opened at 7 am local time (0500GMT) and are scheduled to close at 10 pm (2000GMT), according to Israel’s Central Elections Committee.A total of 12,018 polling stations and approximately 18,000 ballot boxes have been prepared nationwide, with around 100,000 election workers deployed.Thirty-seven parties and electoral lists are competing in the elections, with at least 61 seats required to form a governing coalition.The main contenders include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, former Army Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party and the Together alliance led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.Opinion polls indicate none of the blocs is assured of the parliamentary majority needed to form a government.Israel uses a nationwide proportional representation system, with the entire country serving as a single electoral constituency to elect the 120 members of the Knesset.Voters do not elect individual members of parliament; instead, they vote for closed party lists, a system that allows numerous political parties to compete for seats. To enter the Knesset, a party must cross the 3.25% electoral threshold, a requirement that often prompts pre-election alliances and mergers.The Knesset serves a four-year term, but elections can be held early if it votes to dissolve itself, fails to approve the State budget within the prescribed period, or a new government cannot be formed.The party winning the most seats does not automatically form the government; after the election, the President consults political factions and appoints a lawmaker to form a government, who must secure the support of at least 61 lawmakers.Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, has served as Israel’s Prime Minister for nearly 19 years across three separate periods since 1996. He seeks to retain power after a period marked by the October 7 attack, which took place three years ago, and the multiple military campaigns that followed.