On The Electoral System Of Parliament In Lsrael

The electoral system of Israeli Parliament (Knesset) has based onproportional representation system (PR). It rested on solid precedents form the pre-state period. In order to ensure that every Jewish organization and individual scattering in the whole world had the chance to participate in the movement of Zionism, the Jewish community in Palestine (Yishuv) decided to adopt the PR system. By 1948, most of the established parties had acquired a vested interest in the PR system so that its retention was a foregone conclusion. The system was later extended to the nation of Israel, which also had marked ideological diversity.In the west world, Israel is unique in the election for its parliamentary. Basically four characteristics have been found in the electoral system. Firstly, elections for the Knesset are adopted the proportional representation system, and many political parties which run for the Knesset reflect a wide range of outlooks and beliefs. Secondly, the entire country constitutes a single electoral constituency, and the Knesset seats are assigned in proportion to each party's percentage of the total national vote. Any party winning 1.5% of the total vote is assured representation. Thirdly, a voter cast secret ballot for a party's list of Knesset candidate rather than for individuals. Fourthly, the results of elections for the Knesset are similar that all governments to date have been based on coalitions of several parties, since no party has evenreceived enough Knesset seats to form a government by itself.The PR system has the advantage of providing an accurate reflection of party strengths. It is impossible for a party to win a minority of the seats. The system has been criticized, however, on the grounds that it encourages the growth of small parties, makes it difficult for any one party to obtain overall majority, and therefore necessitates fragile coalition government. Moreover, it is argued, since all the candidates are nominated by party headquarters, all power is in the hands of the parties and members of the Knesset have little independence. They represent their parties rather than the citizens.The PR system has been the subject of fierce debate waged between a minority groups in the Knesset, which demanded a change over to the British constituency system. But periodic proposals of electoral reform provoke defensive reaction by entrenched smaller parties, which prevent radical electoral change. So the PR system continues to these days.