Friday, March 20, 2015

Who Really Won the 2015 Israeli Elections?

ערב שבת קודש/ערב ראש חודש פר' ויקרא/החודש תשע"ה
YNET: Netanyahu wakes up to shock election victory
With 99 percent of the ballots boxes counted, Likud opens six seat lead over Zionist Union with 30 mandates, Joint Arab List retains third place; Lieberman, who was polling at the electoral threshold, surprises with 6.


Yaron Druckman, March 18, 2015

PM Re-Elect Netanyahu
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been trailing his Zionist Union opponent in the polls leading up to the elections, the real-time results on Wednesday morning show the Likud leader enjoying a major advantage over the left-wing's Isaac Herzog.

The exit polls conducted by three major Israeli television channels showed a slender Likud lead over its rival, with a one seat margin of victory, while the partial returns counted by 6 am have Netanyahu with a six seat lead on the Zionist Union, at 30 and 24. (cont.)
Esser Agaroth (2¢):
The number of Arab MK's elected to the K'nesseth have been on the study increase since being allowed to run in the first place. I have listed approximate numbers below.

3 (1973)  (1977)  (1981)  (1988)  (1992)  (1996)

10 (1999)  (2003)  10 (2006)  11 (2009)  11 (2013) 


Final Results of the 2015 Israeli Elections

So far, I have only found that Debbie Schlussel and Uri Heilman, in an Op-Ed in the Jewish Telegraph Agency [JTA], of all places, have been able to connect the dots and see the elections for what they really are.

Besides the steady increase in Arabs entering the K'nesseth, if you bother to examine the results, you will see that the block of MK's comprised of right-wing and religious MK's has actually decreased in number from the previous make-up of the K'nesseth.

Even with 13 Haredi (UTJ, Shas) MK's the Prime Minister will only be able to form a government with the supposedly centrist Kulanu. A unity government with the misnamed Zionist Union has also not yet been ruled out.

So, seriously? Who really won the 2015 Israel Elections?

2 comments:

Mighty Garnel Ironheart said...

First, the increasing Arab numbers are no surprise and we have the last government to blame for raising the electoral threshhold and giving them the incentive to merge parties.
Second, the Chareidi parties are right wing like prostitutes have preferences. They'll go wherever the money is.

Esser Agaroth said...

1. Yes 100%, but people believe what they want to believe.

2. Yes re: parties. That's why I separated "right-wing" and "Haredi," and even though I hardly see the Likud as right-wing either.

There are maybe two Haredi MK's who are this close to breaking out of that mindset. (sigh) Very frustrating.

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