How is the Prime Minister of Israel chosen

Answer 1

This is an interesting question given the on-going political turmoil regarding the office of the Prime Minister of Israel. The Israeli system is a parliamentary one, meaning that there is both a president and a prime minister. The president is elected by the parliament (called the Knesset), not through a direct vote. The office of the president is largely a ceremonial role-- not equivalent to the office of the president in the American system. The prime minister is elected through a general election in which votes are cast for a party-- like Likud, Blue & White, or Labour.

After the election, vote are counted and seats in the Knesset awarded in proportion to the number of votes received for the party. At the same time, the President nominates the next Prime Minister, a member of the Knesset belonging to the party which received the most votes in the election. The chosen candidate has 42 days to then form a ruling coalition in the Knesset. Since there are many parties, one party rarely has an absolute majority, and therefore parties must negotiate to create a leading coalition. If, within 42 days, a coalition is not formed, new elections can be called.

This can be more easily understood through the anecdote of recent political events in Israel. In April of 2019, elections were held and the Likud party won the most votes. Therefore, Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party was re-nominated by President Reuven Rivlin to serve as the Prime Minister (this would be Netanyahu's 3rd term as PM). However, Netanyahu was unable to form a coalition in the 42 allowed days. New elections were called for September of 2019 and the Blue and White party garnered the most votes by a thin majority. However, Rivlin again chose Netanyahu & the Likud party to form a coalition. In the past few weeks, following difficulty creating a coalition, Netanyahu forfeited his chance to create a coalition. This has allowed his opponent, Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party, to work on forming a coalition. It will be interesting to see over the next few weeks whether Gantz will indeed form a coalition, or, if another election will be called as many predict.

For more information regarding election laws, visit the Knesset election page: https://m.knesset.gov.il/en/mk/pages/elections.aspx