Israel will hold its next general election on October 27, marking the first time in nearly four decades that the country heads to the polls on its scheduled date as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu completes a full four-year term in office.
According to The Times of Israel, Ofir Katz, a senior member of Netanyahu's ruling Likud party, confirmed that voting will take place on the date mandated by law after the current Knesset completes its four-year term on July 17.
The election is being closely watched both domestically and internationally, with Netanyahu seeking another mandate while Israel remains engaged in regional conflicts and grapples with deep political divisions.
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The report said Netanyahu's government will become the first Israeli administration in more than 50 years to complete a full four-year term, while the October vote will be Israel's first regularly scheduled election since 1988.
The Knesset is expected to begin its election recess on July 17, while political parties will have until September 7 to submit their candidate lists, according to Israeli media reports.
The October election is widely expected to be one of the toughest political contests of Netanyahu's career. Analysts say voters are likely to weigh his leadership against the backdrop of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack, Israel's military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, and tensions with the US over the conduct of the wars and the broader regional conflict involving Iran.
Netanyahu's long-standing image as Israel's security-focused leader has also come under pressure amid mounting casualties, prolonged military operations and the absence of a clear political endgame. Corruption allegations and continuing domestic political disputes remain additional challenges heading into the campaign.
Recent opinion surveys suggest a closely fought election. A Channel 12 News poll published last week showed Netanyahu's Likud and the newly formed Yashar party led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot tied at 23 seats each, making them the two largest parties in the 120-member Knesset. A separate Channel 13 poll projected Eisenkot's party as the single largest force in Parliament but indicated that the opposition bloc could still fall short of the 61-seat majority required to form a government.
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Israel follows a system of nationwide proportional representation, under which voters cast ballots for political parties rather than individual constituency candidates.
Seats in the Knesset are allocated in proportion to each party's share of the national vote, unlike India's first-past-the-post system. Political parties must secure at least 3.25% of the national vote to enter Parliament.
Netanyahu returned to power after the November 2022 snap election, which followed the collapse of the government led by Yair Lapid. His coalition, comprising Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Noam, the Religious Zionist Party, United Torah Judaism and Shas, was sworn in on Dec. 29, 2022.
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