Transcript [00:00] Here's how the Israeli elections work, [00:01] and I'll explain it to you in less than [00:03] two minutes. On October 27th, Israelis [00:05] will head to the polls to vote for their [00:07] next government. But unlike the US, [00:08] where you voted for Donald Trump or Kla [00:10] Harris, in Israel, no one is voting for [00:13] a person. They're voting for a party. [00:15] Israel uses a parliamentary system kind [00:17] of like the UK, but with just one house, [00:19] the Knesset. It has 120 seats, and every [00:22] party is fighting for a share of them, [00:24] and there are a lot of parties. In the [00:26] US, you basically have two, but in [00:28] Israel, voters can choose between [00:30] dozens. But a party needs at least 3.25% [00:33] of the vote to get any seats at all. [00:36] We're expecting maybe 12 to cross that [00:38] line. And those are the ones you'll hear [00:39] about. The right-wing, the [00:40] ultraorththodox, the Arab parties, and [00:42] the center and the left. Each party has [00:44] its own leader, and the rest of the [00:45] candidate list is set beforehand through [00:47] primaries or by the party chairman. [00:49] Okay, so once the voting happens, it's [00:51] actually just the beginning. Israel [00:52] splits the top job into two. The [00:55] president is the head of state, a [00:56] nonpartisan ceremonial job. The prime [00:58] minister runs the government. Each party [01:00] that made it goes to the president and [01:02] recommends who should be the next prime [01:03] minister. Then the president picks the [01:05] leader with the best chance and says, [01:07] "Go try and build a government." Now, [01:09] here's the interesting part. No single [01:11] party has ever won a majority. So, the [01:13] wouldbe prime minister has to partner [01:15] with other parties to reach 61 seats. [01:17] And they negotiate and negotiate and [01:19] negotiate, sometimes for weeks, hashing [01:22] out who gets what ministry. If they [01:24] can't make a deal, it leads right back [01:25] to the ballot box. But if they hit 61, a [01:28] new government is born. The most votes [01:30] doesn't always mean the next prime [01:31] minister. And a party can never govern [01:34] totally alone.
Israelis are heading to the polls on October 27 🇮🇱🗳️.
But unlike elections in the US, they're not voting for a specific candidate, they're voting for political parties.
With 120 seats in the Knesset, a 3.25% electoral threshold, and 61 seats needed to form a government, winning the most votes doesn't necessarily mean taking power.
So how does Israel actually choose its leaders?
Let’s break it down.
