Israel parliamentary elections: 38 parties registered for October 27 vote

Thirty-eight parties have officially submitted their lists for the Israeli parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27. The upcoming vote for the 26th Knesset features a highly fragmented political landscape, particularly within the right-wing bloc.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a seventh term with the Likud party. While he has attempted to unify his allies to prevent vote loss, several key figures are running independently. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has merged his Religious Zionism party with Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut, but Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is running separately with Otzma Yehudit. Additionally, former Brigadier General Ofer Winter has submitted a separate list, posing a potential risk to the government bloc if his party fails to meet the 3.25 percent electoral threshold.

Netanyahu faces significant challenges from various sides. Former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot is a major rival with his Yashar party, which currently polls as high as or higher than the Likud. Other notable contenders include Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid leading the B’Yachad list, as well as Benny Gantz and Avigdor Lieberman. New center-right entries, such as Sharren Haskel’s ‘Israel First’ party, are also competing for the same Zionist-nationalist voter base, complicating Netanyahu’s path to a majority.