Posted on 02/10/2009 12:59:19 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
With voting stations officially closed, exit polls at 10 p.m. suggested that Kadima would win Tuesday's general elections.
However, due to the dramatic rise in support of the Likud and Israel Beiteinu compared with the previous election, it seemed that Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu would have a better chance than Kadima head Tzipi Livni of forming the next coalition.
According to Channel 1, the right-wing bloc won 63 Knesset seats and the left wing 57; Channel 2 predicted 64 for the right and 56 for the left; and Channel 10, like Channel 1, predicted 63 and 57
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
Cool. If the breakdown here were “conservative” vs. “liberal”, rather than Democrat vs. Republican, Obama may have had trouble forming a government. (Not that I am for a parlimentary system here).
This is good news.
I think this is Israel’s last chance to grasp that there is another Holocaust on the horizon if they don’t do something to stop it.
Wasn’t Kadima formed by Ariel Sharon as a break-away from the Likud party? Why then is it a left wing party?
It is more that they could experiment with liberalism and appeasement when they knew they had the US to back them up. With Obama in charge they know that they are on their own. When you only have one try a rational person goes for the proven workable solution over the ideal experiment. Hard core liberals are obviously not rational, but depend on feelings, hence continue to pursue fantasy solutions long after their time is past
Yes.
Why then is it a left wing party?
Lots of folks joined up in an effort to be with a perceived winner. Many of them, Livni and Olmerde among them, were quite left - and Sharon, desperate to achieve power outside of the Likud, didn't care much who joined. He must've thought that he'd control everything and live forever.
Now the negotiating begins. If Kadima did win, they have first shot at forming a government - which means that they'll do they usual Israeli thing of promising the moon to any fringe party that hops aboard and helps form a government, and screwing them later when they think that they're in a position to do so.
Labor is the Left wing party. Kadima is a party of “moderates” with a sprinkling of liberals and semi-conservatives.
The conservative party is Likud. The new Lieberman party more of a paleo-conservative splinter from Likud.
I am surprised that Likud did not do better, but it appears that the more conservative splinter took some votes away.
The good news is that Labor is close to dead.
Use this cool Electoral Compass to see who you should pick for Prime Minister given your stance on the issues.
Download the Party Platforms | View Current Political Posters (with Translation)
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Left |
Left of Center |
Centrist |
Right of Center |
Right |
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Major Parties |
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Small Parties |
· Meretz · Hadash |
· Gil |
· Shas |
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New Parties |
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The small parties are listed in alphabetical order according to their Hebrew name and the translation appears in parentheses.
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Political Party |
# Knesset Seats |
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Kadima |
29 |
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Labor-Meimad |
19 |
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Likud |
12 |
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Shas |
12 |
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Yisrael Beitenu |
11 |
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Ichud Leumi - Mafdal |
9 |
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Gil Pensioners Party |
7 |
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Torah and Shabbat Judaism |
6 |
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Meretz |
5 |
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United Arab List - Arab Renewal |
4 |
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Hadash |
3 |
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National Democratic Assembly |
3 |
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Total |
120 |
If you'd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
They're more in the center. Israel's traditional left is Labor, which is in a state of collapse. It should happen here.
Not necessarily, the decision is made by President Peres, after consulting with the various parties, on the basis of who can best form a government. He could easily give the first shot to Bibi. It's hard to see Livni picking up a right wing party today she couldn't last fall.
Of course if exit polls are inaccurate, or if the military vote (no exit polls) goes heavily Likud, he could still win the popular vote.
I am apparently going to be a National Unity party shortly.
Unity = union
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