Elections Results: Voter Turnout Up, Joint List Adds Seats

Preliminary results from Tuesday’s Knesset election indicate that Arab voter turnout reached 59.1%, 10 percentage points higher than the 49.2% turnout in April’s vote. The reunited Joint List, the union of the four major Arab-led parties, received 13 seats and is once again the third-largest bloc in the Knesset after Kahol Lavan and Likud.

A total estimated 577,000 Arab citizens cast ballots, of whom 79% voted for the Joint List. The other 21% of the Arab electorate voted for Jewish-led parties. There are reports that 60,000 to 70,000 Arabs voted for Kahol Lavan, giving that list at least one and possibly two of its 33 seats and the edge over Likud’s 31, and more Arab votes than Meretz received. Latest estimates indicate that 69.5% of the total Israeli population voted.

The Joint List MKs for the 22d Knesset will be as follows (listed with their party):

1. Ayman Odeh, Hadash

2. Mtanes Shehadeh, Balad

3. Ahmad Tibi, Ta’al

4. Mansour Abbas, Ra’am

5. Aida Touma-Sliman, Hadash

6. Walid Taha, Ra’am

7. Ofer Cassif, Hadash

8. Heba Yazbak, Balad

9. Osama Saadi, Ta’al

10. Yousef Jabareen, Hadash

11. Said al-Harumi, Ra’am

12. Jaber Asakli, Hadash

13. Sami Abu Shehadeh, Balad

With no clear path to a coalition for either Likud or Kahol Lavan, much discussion in Israel has been focused on the perceived strong position of the Joint List as coalition talks are underway. It has yet to be seen what role the list will take in the new Knesset.