More than 6,500,000 Israelis are called to vote this Tuesday in a fourth election to end the political deadlock.
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However, the estimated high number of undecided voters does not foresee a majority bloc in a traditionally fragmented parliament, which depends on complex coalitions to create a government based on a pro or anti-Netanyahu axis, the preponderant political weight in the last 20 years in Israel.
Almost 40 political parties are running in these elections, although about a dozen will make it to the parliament (Knesset).
Participation is key in an election in which Israel will invest the equivalent of almost 200 million dollars to bring the polls closer to the infected and quarantined citizens, making them the most expensive elections in its history.
Likewise, 20,000 police officers will be deployed in specialized teams to ensure the normality of the voting.
Israelis Protest Netanyahu’s Corruption Ahead of Tuesday’s Elections https://t.co/5lHeGQplGY via @democracynow
— Simcha de Vries (@Simcha_) March 22, 2021
The polls' favorite continues to be the Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with some 30 seats (out of 120). The PM does not seem to have been affected by the corruption trial he is facing and is in the midst of a progressive economic reopening. More than half of the population is vaccinated, which has returned a sense of normality to the streets.
Over the years, Netanyahu has built a reputation as a political magician and skilled manipulator able to survive any crisis.
Witnesses against him are expected to take the stand next month. He is hoping for another miracle that will provide him with a friendlier parliament willing to give him immunity or stall his trial.
The agreements for the normalization of Israel's relations with four countries of the Arab world (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan) is another of the electoral trump cards with which Netanyahu aspires to prolong a mandate that he has been renewing consecutively since 2009.
#FromTheSouth news Bits | Protesters gather outside the court where Netanyahu's trial resumes. The Israeli Prime Minister is involved in a legal process over claims of corruption related to offering favors to powerful media outlets in exchange for positive news coverage. pic.twitter.com/SN5V8t7MDx
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) February 9, 2021