Knesset 2026
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Current as of October 13, 2026

Israel's 2026 Knesset Election: parties, dates, and a plain explanation

We help you make sense of who is running, how the parties differ, how voting works, and which dates you should not miss.

Start from scratch Explore parties

On this site you can:

  • understand how Israeli elections work
  • see the parties and their leaders
  • find the key dates
  • compare where the parties stand
  • get ready to vote

Election status now

Ballot final

Election day for the 26th Knesset is Tuesday, October 27, 2026 — two weeks away. The ballot is now final: all 38 lists the Central Elections Committee approved on September 27 are running, after the Supreme Court restored Ra'am and the Joint List on October 2.

Fast read

What is being decided

Voters choose party lists; only after the vote does the work of building a coalition and a government begin.

One national vote

Israelis vote for closed national lists, not individual district candidates. Seats are allocated proportionally among lists that clear the threshold.

Coalitions decide government

No party normally wins a majority. After results, the president assigns an MK to try to form a coalition that can win Knesset confidence.

Election day is set

Following the Knesset's formal dispersal on July 17, the election for the 26th Knesset takes place on October 27, 2026; the 38 candidate lists were approved on September 27.

Rules

How the election works

If you don't follow politics, start here: these are the basic rules that make the rest of the site easier to read.

  1. Your vote
  2. A list
  3. Seats
  4. Coalition
  5. Government

Ballot

Voters choose one list. The ballot slip usually shows the list name and its Hebrew letters.

District

The whole country is a single electoral district, so lists are identical nationwide.

Candidate order

Closed lists mean the public cannot reorder candidates on election day.

Threshold

Only lists receiving at least 3.25% of valid votes participate in seat allocation.

Government

Coalition agreements determine ministries and policy priorities after the election.

Special voting

Most citizens vote at assigned polling stations; special rules exist for soldiers, hospitals, prisons, diplomats, and accessibility needs.

Dates

Election timeline

Key dates of the 2026 campaign, from the dissolution to the official results. Dates after September 27 come from the Central Elections Committee's official timetable.

  1. Past Knesset dissolution bill passes its preliminary reading 110-0 amid the coalition crisis over the haredi draft-exemption bill.
  2. Past The Knesset formally disperses after a 62-0 vote; election day is set for October 27.
  3. Past The Democrats held their primary: about 97,000 of 112,376 registered members voted (~86%) in the party's first fully digital ballot. Behind Yair Golan the list is led by Naama Lazimi, Gilad Kariv and Efrat Rayten.
  4. Past Religious Zionism held its primary: Smotrich heads the slate, followed by Orit Strock, Simcha Rothman, Tzvi Succot and Ohad Tal. The final list, run jointly with Zehut, puts Moshe Feiglin at No. 2.
  5. Past Likud held its primary with 53.5% turnout: Eli Cohen topped the competitive ranking ahead of Ohana, Levin and Regev. After a disputed recount the party court rejected the last appeal on September 7.
  6. Past Ra'am held a general conference and, for the first time in its history, a primary: about 670 officials and activists voted for specific list slots, replacing the Shura Council's negotiated list.
  7. Past The voter registry closed: whoever was not registered (or did not update their address) by this date votes at the old address — or not at all — on October 27.
  8. Past Candidate lists closed at the Central Elections Committee at 10 p.m.: 38 lists filed, with no last-minute mergers.
  9. Past Disqualification hearings at the CEC: the committee voted 18-5 to bar Ra'am and the Joint List and also barred candidates Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh; it rejected bids to bar Otzma Yehudit (19-10), Religious Zionism–Zehut and the Democrats.
  10. Past The CEC approved all 38 lists and their ballot letters. Ra'am and the Joint List were approved only conditionally, pending the Supreme Court's ruling on their disqualification.
  11. Past The Supreme Court unanimously overturned the committee's bans on Ra'am and the Joint List and reinstated Ofer Cassif 7-2; Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew after the court signalled it would uphold his ban. Because of the election timetable only a summary was issued; full reasons will follow.
  12. Past Voter notices were mailed to the address in the voter register. You do not need the notice to vote — your photo ID is enough — and you can look up your polling station online by ID number.
  13. Past The official election broadcasts on TV and radio began; by law they run only in the last 14 days before the vote.
  14. Coming up Voting at Israeli diplomatic missions and on Israeli ships — only for state emissaries and crews. Ordinary citizens abroad cannot vote; they have to be in Israel on October 27.
  15. Coming up Deadline for lists to notify the CEC of surplus-vote agreements, which can turn the leftover votes of two lists into an extra seat for one of them.
  16. Coming up Last day polls may be published: from the end of Friday until the polls close, the law bans publishing election polls.
  17. Key date Official date Election day for the 26th Knesset. Polling stations are open 7:00-22:00 (some small stations, and those in hospitals and prisons, keep shorter hours). It is a paid day off, and intercity buses and trains are free from 20:00 the evening before.
  18. Coming up The CEC publishes the official results. The president then consults the parties and tasks an MK with forming a government.

On the ballot

All 38 lists and their ballot letters

Approved by the Central Elections Committee on September 27, 2026. In the voting booth each list has its own stack of slips printed with its Hebrew letters and name — take the slip of the list you choose. Ra'am and the Joint List, approved at first only conditionally, were restored by the Supreme Court on October 2, so all 38 lists are on the ballot.

Outgoing factions and 2026 campaign map

Parties, members, and plans

New or changed for 2026

New lists, alliances & political projects 2026

Parties and alliances that could reshape the race: new lists, mergers, splits, and politicians switching camps.

Mergers, splits & defections

What changed before 2026

Party mergers, splits, renamings and MK moves that connect current Knesset factions to the lists running in 2026.

    Roll-call record

    How parties actually voted

    See how the parties actually voted on key issues — not just what they say.

    How to read this table

    Polling, September 30 - October 11, 2026

    Where the polls stand

    The coalition closes the gap — still short of 61

    Yashar still first, Likud right behind

    The threshold decides the arithmetic

    For Russian-speaking new immigrants

    New voter guide

    Plain-language basics for new voters: who can vote, how to find your polling station, what to bring, and how voting works.

    Voting in 5 steps

    Start here, then use the detailed checklist below before election day.

      How Israeli elections work

      Israel's system differs from what many post-Soviet countries use — not just Russia's. Each card below gives the familiar version first, then how Israel does it.

      First-time voter checklist

        Fact-check

        Myths circulating in Russian-language Telegram

        We break down popular misconceptions that circulate in Telegram and everyday conversations about the election.

        Terminology

        Glossary

        Key terms

        Party, list, faction — what's the difference?

        Research trail

        Core sources

        Download AI-compatible report

        Download this page's content as a structured Markdown file with sources — ready for LLM ingestion, RAG pipelines, or research automation.

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