00:00Israeli elections can be complex with a fragmented political system, but how do they work?
00:06Israel is holding a national election on October 27th in a vote that could reshape its political
00:11future. Recent polls suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on course to lose the
00:17election amid declining trust in his leadership and growing dissatisfaction with some of his
00:21government's policies. But no rival has a clear path to power either. So who's in the running?
00:27Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who has projected himself as a security-focused
00:32political outsider. Former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, who previously
00:37joined forces to oust Netanyahu in 2021. And former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman,
00:43who remains one of Netanyahu's sharpest critics. So how does Israel's election system work?
00:49Israel's elections are parliamentary, Israelis elect the 120-seat Knesset through proportional
00:53representation, and parties must win at least 3.25 percent of the national vote to enter
00:58parliament. No party has ever won an outright majority, so coalition governments are needed
01:03to form the government, although they can quickly unravel due to divisions. With a September deadline
01:08to submit candidate lists for the upcoming election, the Israeli political landscape could
01:12still shift before election day. Will Netanyahu stay in power, or is Israel heading for political
01:17change? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
