Israeli Politics Returning to 1970s Model of Leader-Centric Parties

A researcher from the Israel Democracy Institute warns that the upcoming Knesset elections may see a significant decline in the number of lawmakers chosen through internal democratic party processes, potentially reverting to a model seen in the 1970s. Professor Ofer Kenig argues that in many parties, the leader or a small party elite now holds decisive power over candidate selection, mirroring practices from fifty years ago.

Kenig highlights that parties like those led by Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman, as well as Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Otzma Yehudit, are largely determined by their leaders. Even in the Likud party, a substantial portion of candidates are reportedly handpicked by Benjamin Netanyahu. Other parties, such as Religious Zionism, Hadash, and Balad, utilize smaller selection committees rather than open primaries.

Historically, until the mid-1970s, most Knesset members were selected by internal committees. The Likud shifted to a party center vote in 1977, and the Labor party followed with internal elections and later primaries by the 1990s. By 1996, over half of Knesset members were chosen via primaries, a trend that has since reversed, with a consistent weakening of this democratic process.

Kenig attributes this shift to a broader trend of party weakening and political personalization, where focus moves from party ideology to individual leaders. He notes this is occurring globally but has been particularly extreme and rapid in Israel, partly due to the failure of centrist parties to establish strong organizational foundations.

The consequence, Kenig explains, is that Knesset members owe their positions to party leaders, fostering loyalty to the leader rather than to constituents or independent political conscience. He suggests a potential solution lies in electoral system reforms that allow voters to influence candidate selection on election day, similar to 'half-open ballots' used in other proportional representation systems.