Ra'am Party Aims for Coalition Role After Election Results

Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra'am party, stated that his party aims to be part of the next coalition government, expressing hope that the final results will allow for the formation of a "change bloc" government with 61 seats. Abbas highlighted his past success in facilitating coalition negotiations between both right-wing and change bloc factions with Ra'am, asserting that the "change government" ultimately formed was significantly better than the "government of failures" led by Benjamin Netanyahu. He indicated Ra'am's desire to replace the current government's policies, attributing the high voter turnout in the Arab community to frustration that was transformed into hope through the election. Abbas emphasized that all Israeli citizens felt abandoned and that the Arab community's response was a reaction to the government's policies, which Ra'am seeks to change.

Abbas outlined his approach to future coalition talks, stating that the priority is to ensure a government can be formed. Once a government is viable, Ra'am will discuss specifics and seek common ground to address challenges. He stressed that any potential partner, such as Izinkan or others, must first demonstrate the possibility of forming a government before expecting answers. Abbas desires a stable four-year government and is awaiting the final results, as current numbers do not guarantee a government. He reiterated his experience in managing parallel negotiations with both the right and the change bloc.

Speaking at a Ra'am event in Sakhnin, Abbas mentioned that the preliminary results were not surprising and that the party anticipated these numbers, though they aim for more and believe the final results will be better. He credited hard work for their achievements. Yoav Segalovich, Ra'am's number two, declared the party's intention to join the coalition and government to influence the future of Israeli society for both Arabs and Jews. He believes this is why he joined Ra'am and stressed the importance of translating the electoral achievement into influence for Arab citizens in policy-making.

Activists at Ra'am headquarters expressed mixed feelings. While satisfied with voter mobilization and an expected increase of two seats compared to the 2022 elections, particularly noting high turnout among Negev Arab voters who support Ra'am, there was also a sense of missed opportunity for a larger gain. MK Walid Taha cautiously expressed satisfaction but regretted that expectations were higher than the preliminary results suggested, believing Ra'am deserved at least eight seats and expressing confidence they would reach that number in the final count. He noted the intensive efforts by activists during the election campaign.