Two Votes
The 1999 elections will be the second in which Israelis have two votes, one for prime minister and one for the Knesset. In the prime ministerial election, Israelis vote directly for the candidate of their choice. In the Knesset election, the vote is for a party.
Prime Minister
Qualifications
A candidate for prime minister must head a party. He or she must also be nominated by a party or parties with at least ten seats in the outgoing Knesset, or by 50,000 voters. The minimum age is 30.
An outgoing prime minister who has served for seven consecutive years may not stand for
re-election.
Electoral system
To be elected, a candidate must receive more than half the votes in the prime ministerial election. If no candidate receives more than half the votes, a second round of elections is held between the two candidates with the most votes, fourteen days after the first round. The candidate with the most votes in the second round becomes prime minister.
The newly elected prime minister has 45 days in which to form a government and obtain Knesset approval for it. If he or she fails to do so, new elections for prime minister must be held within 60 days.
Legislation
Prime ministerial elections are governed by the Basic Law: The Government, which also sets out the prime minister's powers, and rules concerning the way the government functions.
The Knesset
The Knesset is a single chamber legislature with 120 seats.
Qualification
Any Israeli citizen over 21 years of age, with the exception of certain State office holders and senior army officers, may stand for election to the Knesset.
A party may be disqualified if its platform includes negation of the existence of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, or negation of the democratic character of the State, or incitement to racism
Electoral system
Knesset elections are held on the basis of proportional representation. Voters cast their votes for parties, not individuals. Each party is allocated seats in the Knesset in proportion to the percentage of the total vote which it receives. If, for example, a party wins 20% of the vote, it is allocated 24 seats, and the first 24 candidates on its list become members of Knesset.
However, a party must gain at least 1.5% of the vote to be awarded a seat. The votes of parties which fail to pass this threshold are distributed among the other parties in proportion to the percentage of the total vote each receives.
The Knesset serves for a maximum of four years before new elections are held.
Parties are free to determine how candidates on their lists are selected, and how they are ranked. Some hold primary elections, in which all party members have a say. Some don't.
Legislation
Knesset elections are governed by the Basic Law: The Knesset.
The Electorate
All Israeli citizens over eighteen years of age are eligible vote in prime ministerial and Knesset elections. Voting is not compulsory.