The Israeli parliament announced on Sunday that legislative elections will be held on 27 October, the last date permitted by law, in a vote widely regarded as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
This will be the first time in 38 years that Israeli elections have been held on their original scheduled date — 27 October 2026. Netanyahu's government will also be the first to complete its full term in 53 years, according to the Palestinian news agency Maan.
The ballot is based on full proportional representation, with seats distributed in proportion to the share of votes received by each list.
Any list that surpasses the electoral threshold of 3.25 percent of valid votes — equivalent to four seats — enters the Knesset.
The electoral threshold has a significant impact on the final results, as votes cast for lists that fail to reach it are considered "void" and are effectively redistributed among the lists that cleared the threshold.
This mechanism played a decisive role in the most recent elections, when 300,000 ballots — representing 6 percent of votes — were redistributed.
Despite near parity between the two competing blocs in terms of vote share, Netanyahu's camp ultimately secured a comfortable majority of 64 seats thanks to the redistribution of votes.
According to Israel's Channel 14, a dispute arose over the election date. The Knesset's legal adviser, attorney Sagit Afik, demanded that the date for Knesset elections be set only after a party financing law was approved. The coalition did not object, responding to the attorney general that there was no need for this, as the chosen date is the original date stipulated in the law.
According to current opinion polls, Netanyahu will contest these elections facing fierce competition from Gadi Eisenkot, with the latter either rivalling or surpassing him. Nevertheless, the prime minister intends to put forward a series of laws in the coming week that will benefit Haredi parties, with the aim of preserving "the bloc" even in the context of preparations for forming the next government.
Candidate lists for the upcoming elections will close after 57 days, on 7 September. At this stage, it remains unclear in what configuration the parties will enter the elections, as surprise alliances continue to form.