The two main rivals are the largest parties – Likud, headed by current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the opposition Zionist Union, led by Isaac Herzog. The ruling Likud Party of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may lose the election to the Zionist Union, a center-left political alliance of the Israeli Labor Party and Hantuah.
Israel is a parliamentary democracy which means that the Prime Minister, who heads Israel’s government, is chosen from among the members of the newly-elected Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
According to the law, 120 Knesset seats will be assigned in proportion to each party's percentage of the total vote. However, the minimum required threshold for a party to be represented in the Knesset is currently 3.25 percent of the total votes cast.
Voting for the 20th Knesset officially began on Sunday, with the first to cast their ballot being Air Force officers who voted before flying abroad as part of their duties. Thousands of soldiers voted before the evening.
Election day is a holiday in Israel. In order to enable all potential voters to cast their ballots, free public transportation will be available to those who happen to be outside their polling districts on this day.
