Israeli political parties have submitted their slates for the Knesset elections on October 27. Israeli media reported that 38 candidate lists were submitted to the Central Elections Committee before Tuesday’s deadline. The candidate lists will be finalised on September 27 after the committee reviews them. The last parties to submit their slates included the governing Likud party, led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party.
The Joint List, a political alliance of Arab-majority parties, also submitted its list on Tuesday. Likud’s list includes 35 candidates, led by Netanyahu and followed by Energy Minister Eli Cohen, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, and Justice Minister Yariv Levin. Israel’s leading opposition party, Yashar, is currently polling ahead of the Likud party, according to Turkiye’s Andalou Agency. Surveys suggest no single party is likely to win a majority, and the ultimate outcome of the race will depend on smaller parties and post-election coalition choices.
Meanwhile, many Israelis are worried about the future of democracy in the country. A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute suggested that 70 percent of Jewish Israelis were concerned about the integrity of the 2026 election.
