Life During Election Time


  • For its citizens, Israel has a vibrant democracy, including a parliament elected by proportional representation.
  • As Israelis have diverse opinions, there are dozens of parties representing all viewpoints, which means coalition governments are the norm.
  • Israel had an election in April, but no majority coalition was agreed, so the Prime Minister called for fresh elections.
  • So by chance, we found ourselves in Jerusalem during the do-over election campaign.
  • Lawn signs are scarce. However, parties can advertise on billboards, the sides of buildings and the backs of cars.
  • SMS messaging seemed to be the most popular, judging by the large number of unsolicited Hebrew texts we received.
  • Elections in Israel bring out extreme behaviour, with increasingly ridiculous promises, personal insults and dire warnings of war or social and economic ruin – all on a daily basis.
  • After Election Day, the initial results indicate that no immediately workable coalition has emerged.
  • So mortal enemies who hurled insults at each other for several months now have to sit down and face the prospect of actually working with them as partners in a working government.
  • Israeli politics makes for strange bedfellows.
Location: Jerusalem

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