Posted on 01/27/2003 4:50:36 AM PST by yonif
Final polls published in the Hebrew daily's before the January 28 elections show the Likud holding steady at between 30-33 mandates with Labor polling at 18 – 19 seats.
The polls show right-wing parties clinching 63-64 seats in the 120 seat Knesset with the Left and the Arab parties receiving 40 –41 seats and the center parties raking in 16-18 seats. While the right has enough to form a narrow coalition Government, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has indicated that he prefers to join forces with the Labor party rather than to create a narrow right-wing government with some of the more extreme smaller parties.
Likud does best in a poll published in Yedioth Aharonot, receiving 33 seats, Labor received between 18-19 with Shinui consolidating its spot as the third largest party with 16 mandates.
Maariv put Likud at 32 seats, Labor at 18 and Shinui at 15. The Ha'aretz poll gave Likud 30-31 seats, Labor 18-19, Shinui 14 and Shas 13 seats.
The Yedioth poll also gives Shas 10-11 seats, the Arab parties 10 seats, the right-wing National Union 8 seats, the dovish Meretz Party 8 seats, the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism 5 seats, the National religious party received 4 seats, the workers party One Nation 4 seats and the immigrant party Yisrael B'aliya received 3 seats.
According to Ma'ariv, both the pro-marjuana party Green Leaf and the ultra-nationalist Herut Party are on the verge of receiving the 1.5 percent of the vote needed to make it into the Knesset.
I like multiparty systems as in my opinion more opinions are represented. Here if you are a member of one of the parties there is a stereotype of what you believe in. Over in Israel there are many views and differences and voters in Israel have a better idea of who they want to align with. For example, there are pro-life and pro-choice people in the Democratic Party.
I find it more democratic and better representative of the whole population.
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