12 Can a Single Constituency Country Form a Government Without its Kingmakers?

Israel's latest national election highlights a structural tension within its electoral design. With no single political party reaching an outright majority, minority factions have become essential to forming the executive administration.

The voting structure in Israel treats the entire country as one unified electoral district. Rather than electing local parliamentary representatives, citizens vote directly for party lists. Seats in the 120-seat Knesset are awarded based on total national vote percentage, provided a party crosses the three and a quarter percent threshold. In the latest results, the ruling alliance under Netanyahu reached 53 seats, while the main opposition under former military chief Eisenkot earned 48 seats. With the required majority set at 61, the 19 seats won by Arab parties—split between the Joint List and Ra'am—become crucial for any viable coalition.

• Functioning as a unified national voting district makes nationwide party reach far more impactful than localized regional campaigns.
• Discretionary power rests with the President to select a leader capable of building a 61-seat legislative coalition within a 28-day timeframe.
• Citizens of Arab origin make up approximately 21 percent of Israel's population, yielding 19 legislative seats across two primary party groupings.
• Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot built his political platform around universal military service obligations and administrative accountability.
• Frequent coalition instability has led to over 25 elections in Israel's history, including five elections held between 2019 and 2022.

In 2021, Naftali Bennett assumed the prime ministership despite his party securing only seven seats, demonstrating the wide presidential latitude available during legislative deadlocks.

What balance should proportional electoral systems maintain between broad representation and executive stability?