ISRAEL-ELECTION/POLLS OPEN-SECURITY Polls open in Israeli general election

Record ID: 399333

  • Title: ISRAEL-ELECTION/POLLS OPEN-SECURITY Polls open in Israeli general election
  • Date: 17th March 2015
  • Summary: JERUSALEM (MARCH 17, 2015) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF ISRAELI POLICE AT SCENE NEAR JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY PEOPLE AND POLICE AT STREET VARIOUS OF DAMASCUS GATE VARIOUS OF SECURITY AT SCENE TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (MARCH 17, 2015) (REUTERS) EMPLOYEES OF POLLING STATION CHECKING DOCUMENTS EMPLOYEES PREPARING VOTING CARDS WOMAN VOTING PHOTOGRAPHER AT
  • Embargoed: 1st April 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAEBF170SM9WK3A5BUZG9NY2TI6
  • Story Text: More than 10,000 polling stations across Israel opened at 7am (0500GMT) on Tuesday (March 17).
    There are almost six million eligible voters in the country of eight million people.
    Israel has a parliamentary system based on proportional representation of political factions, not individual candidates.
    On Tuesday the Israelis are to choose among 25 party lists of candidates to serve in the 120-seat Knesset. Parties must meet a threshold of at least 3.25 percent of the vote to qualify for seats in the Knesset.
    No party has won a majority of seats since Israel's first election in 1949.
    Voting will end at 10 pm (2000 GMT). Israel's three major television stations will broadcast exit polls estimating how many parliamentary seats each party has won, and then the coalition calculations will begin.
    The two main rival parties are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and the centre-left Zionist Union led by Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni.
    After the results are known Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin, will consults with the leaders of every party represented in parliament as to their preference for prime minister, and then choose the legislator who he believes has the best chance of putting together a coalition.
    The nominee, who does not necessarily have to be the head of the party that won the most votes, has up to 42 days to negotiate with other factions and form a coalition, which is presented to the Knesset for a vote of confidence. If successful, that member becomes the next prime minister. If the attempt to form a government fails the president will ask another politician to try.
    Knesset elections must be held once every four years, though many coalitions do not survive a full term. In moments of political instability or stalemate, a majority of the Knesset may vote to dissolve the body and call early elections to be held 90-150 days later.
    Israeli voter turnout is traditionally very high-between 60 and 80 percent.
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