About 7.3 million eligible Israeli voters are expected to vote on Tuesday (October 27) to elect the 26th Israeli Knesset (parliament). The 26th general parliamentary election, since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, is taking place exactly on its legally mandated, statutory date, as the Knesset has completed its full term this time.As many as 38 registered parties are competing for seats in the 120-member legislature, though only around 11 are projected to clear the strict 3.25% electoral threshold required for parliamentary representation. This election assumes immense significance because it is the first Israeli parliament since 1988 to complete a full four-year mandate without early dissolution. The vote follows years of intense societal turmoil, including contentious judicial reform debates, the traumatic security crisis following October 7, and protracted wartime conditions. Beyond choosing a prime minister, this election is expected to be a critical national referendum on Israel’s governance, domestic civil cohesion, state security architecture, and long-term democratic character.Who are the key contenders in the 2026 Israel elections?Being a democracy with a proportional representation system of elections, Israel has several lists and parties. The difference between parties and lists is that a party is an institution that seeks power within the established rules of elections, whereas a list is precisely what it says it is: a list of candidates prepared for the elections sponsored by a party or by a group of parties.Any registered party or list may contest elections. Under Section 7A of Basic Law: The Knesset, the Central Elections Committee (CEC), or the Supreme Court may disqualify a political party list or an individual candidate if their platform or actions express denial of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, indulge in racism, or support armed struggle by an enemy state or terrorist organisation against Israel.Also read | In Israel, stakes are high, change has constraintsOnce the registrar determines that the party’s platform and behaviour are consistent with democracy and that it keeps proper records of its accounts, the party is approved to contest elections.The key electoral lists in this election are as follows:Government coalition & right-wing blocsStory continues below this adLikud: Led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, running on a consolidated national-conservative list that merged with Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope.Otzma Yehudit: A far-right party list headed by Itamar Ben-Gvir.Religious Zionist Party – Zehut: A joint list led by Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) and Moshe Feiglin (Zehut).Shas: Ultra-Orthodox Sephardic party list led by Aryeh Deri.United Torah Judaism (UTJ): Ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazi joint list between Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael, led by Ya’akov Asher.Story continues below this adAmcha Yisrael: A new right-wing list formed by former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) general Ofer Winter and activist Yoseph Haddad.Noam: A far-right, religiously conservative list headed by Avi Maoz.Opposition and centre-left blocsTogether (Beyachad): A centre-right and centre joint list combining Naftali Bennett’s new movement with Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party.Yashar!: A broad centrist list led by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen.Story continues below this adThe Democrats (HaDemokratim): A merger between the Labor Party and Meretz, headed by Yair Golan.Yisrael Beitenu (“Israel [is] Our Home”): A secular right-wing party list led by Avigdor Liberman.Blue and White (Kahol Lavan): A centrist list headed by Benny Gantz.The Reservists & The Economic Party: A joint list formed by Yoaz Hendel (The Reservists) and economist Yaron Zelekha (New Economic Party).Arab sector partiesStory continues below this adThe Joint List: A united electoral list bringing together the Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad factions, headed by Yousef Jabareen and Ahmad Tibi.United Arab List (Ra’am): An Islamist Arab-Israeli party list headed by Mansour Abbas.Parliamentary regimeIsrael is a parliamentary democracy with three main branches of power: the legislative, executive, and judiciary.The country has a unicameral (single-house) parliament, composed of 120 members. Members of the Knesset (MKs) are elected nationally for four-year terms. Story continues below this ad A Likud Party campaign billboard featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and US President Donald Trump, in Tel Aviv on October 26, 2026. Photo: AP/Oded BaliltyThe prime minister holds the executive power. The government depends directly on the confidence of the Knesset and must maintain a working majority (at least 61 seats) to govern. Headed by the Supreme Court, the judiciary acts independently to interpret basic laws and review legislation. National elections in Israel are administered and overseen by the CEC.Electoral thresholdIn Israel’s party-list proportional representation system, the electoral threshold is the minimum percentage of the total nationwide vote a political party must receive to enter parliament. The threshold is currently set at 3.25% — a standard established by Knesset legislation in 2014. Crossing this hurdle grants a party a baseline of at least 4 seats out of the 120 total Knesset seats. If a party fails to reach the 3.25% mark, all votes cast for its slate are discarded, producing “wasted votes” that are reallocated among the parties that succeeded.Also in Explained | As Israel heads to polls this month, will unpopular Netanyahu make a comeback?The main purpose of the threshold is to balance representation with political stability by preventing extreme parliamentary fragmentation and keeping micro-parties out. Historically, the threshold started at just 1% in 1951 before being gradually raised to 1.5% (1992), 2% (2003), and finally 3.25% (2014), notes Prof. Ofer Kenig, a researcher at the Israeli Democracy Institute.This high barrier incentivises smaller ideological factions or niche parties to merge into joint electoral slates before election day, ensuring they pass the threshold together. As a result, the 3.25% rule plays a decisive role in shaping coalition arithmetic and determining which political bloc can form a government, he adds. Story continues below this adHow does government formation work in Israel?Since no single political party in Israel’s history has ever won a 61-seat majority on its own, every Israeli government has been a coalition. In such a situation, the process of forming a government, with both old and new allies, takes time.Also read | Interactive: Netanyahu vs Eisenkot and the battle for 61 seats in Israel elections 2026Following election day, the CEC certifies the final count and seat distribution. The President holds discussions with representatives of party lists that cleared the electoral threshold regarding the possible PM candidates. After discussions with party lists, the President grants the mandate to form a government to the party candidate who is most likely to ensure a 61-seat majority.The President grants 28 days to the chosen candidate to form a coalition. A single 14-day extension, if extra time is required, can be given to the candidate. If one candidate fails to get the required support, the President can either transfer the mandate to a second candidate for a 28-day attempt.Once coalition agreements are finalised, the prime minister-designate presents the new government, its policy guidelines, and cabinet ministers to the Knesset for a formal vote of confidence. If approved by at least 61 votes, the ministers take their oaths of office.