Israeli election thread

[Ecthy]

So that's where all the Shinui votes went? Doesn't anybody give a damn about a secular agenda anymore?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Ecthy
So that's where all the Shinui votes went? Doesn't anybody give a damn about a secular agenda anymore?

kinda hard to worry about whether the buses run on Saturday when a terrorist group is taking over next door and the social services are cut, I suppose.

[Vince278]

Isn't it difficult to form a strong government in a parliamentary system with so many parties?

[Az]

don't let us Israelis started.


...however... if now the ruling party will be Kadima, I'd rather have it's government fall in as little time as possible.

Kadima is terrible. Probably the worst political power in Israel ever ( even worse than the Likud domestically circa 2001) these are people with very little ideology binding them together, and they are corrupt as hell, too. Think Forza Italia.

[Vince278]

Originally posted by Az
Think Forza Italia.

Don't you mean Borgia?

[Az]

Forza Bacteria

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Vince278
Isn't it difficult to form a strong government in a parliamentary system with so many parties?

Yup, but its hard to get a consensus to change from PR.
Besides, one of the most destabilizing aspects of the system, the ultra-orthodox parties, wouldnt go away even with single member districts, since theyre geographically concentrated.


Looks like Kadima-Labour coalition could have or be close to a majority with no other parties added. That would probably be the best outcome for dealing with the security and diplomatic concerns that lie ahead (and yes, even if theirs no Pal partner to negotiate with, there will be MANY security and diplo concerns, from relations with Egypt and Jordan, to the situation in Lebanon and Syria, to dealing with Abbas, etc)

Kadima-Labour could reach out to Meretz, or to the ultra-O religious parties, or even to Likud. They have a lot of flexibility in coalition building. I would foresee a stable govt, until such time as Labour thinks its in its interest to go for new elections.

If Labour plays to hard to get, Kadima could try a coalition with ultra-o religious parties alone. But i think its hard to make the math work for that.

Other alt is Kadima-Likud. I cant see that being stable at all.

[lord of the mark]

Dept of "Shoulda gone with Peres" regrets

Jerusalem Post

'Labor hopes to reach 25 mandates, which officials said was within reach as Labor climbed to 21 mandates in several polls Thursday. If they win enough mandates in the election, the party was prepared to ask for the Ministry of Trade in addition to the Ministry of Education, said one Labor candidate.

The Education Ministry may prove tricky, however, as Olmert has widely promised the position to Prof. Uriel Reichman over Labor's MK Yuli Tamir.

"We feel that in many ways Labor can now play hardball over the Education Ministry," said one official. "We also feel like Olmert may have thrown us a few more mandates."

Several Labor candidates have begun to unofficially campaign along a new strategy, urging voters to ignore their doubts over Peretz as a candidate for prime minister, and instead vote for Labor as a coalition partner. '


Wow, the Education Ministry. Striking right for the center of power, arent we?

Why do I have the feeling that Labour will have yet ANOTHER new leader between this election and the next?

[Vince278]

What would happen if none of the parties were able to put together a government or work together and new elections didn't change the mix significantly? How would your system handle a hopeless deadlock?

[OzzyKP]

Isn't there a Muslim/Arab party? Has anyone gone into coalition with it?

[Eli]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Isn't there a Muslim/Arab party? Has anyone gone into coalition with it?

There are 3 such parties in the outgoing Knesset, their total power is 9 or 10 seats and none of them ever sat in a coalition.

Usually when a Prime Minister turns hard to the left and his coalition breaks apart leaving him with less than 60 seats, the Arab parties add their votes to delay the fall of his government.

[VetLegion]

Are Arab parties voted in by the same criteria as the Israeli parties?

What I mean is: are there reduced requirements for Arabs to gain seats? Or some other similar arrangement engineered so that there's a token Arab presence in the parliament? Or are they competing equal to other parties?

For example, here minorities have a guaranteed number of seats in the parliament.

[Sirotnikov]

What I mean is: are there reduced requirements for Arabs to gain seats? Or some other similar arrangement engineered so that there's a token Arab presence in the parliament?

nope.

Israel doesn't believe in that. And rightly so I think.

Minorities should vote according to their political belief and not due to tribal preferences.

Not to mention that any big party that wants to grow, slowly begins to add minorities. There are russians and druze almost in every party, and arabs are.. well.. mostly in the left.

[Vince278]

At the current rate the Arab population could become a majority. Is Israel ready for an Arab government?

[OzzyKP]

Well I think that is the whole idea behind the unilateral withdrawal from the west bank and gaza strip. They don't want all of them to be part of their country.

According to Wikipedia only 16% of Israelis are Muslim. That doesn't sound like something to worry about.