Israel votes for a new Knesset on 27 October, the latest date its law allows

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Israel votes for a new Knesset on 27 October, the latest date its law allows

13 October 2026

Israel's general election is fixed for 27 October 2026. Under Basic Law: the Knesset, a Knesset's term runs four years from the day on which it is elected, and elections fall on the third Tuesday of the Hebrew month of Heshvan, usually in October or November, subject to adjustment in a leap year. The Knesset, Israel's parliament, dissolved on 17 July 2026. The Knesset is a single-house parliament of 120 members, chosen by proportional representation from party lists. A list must cross an electoral threshold currently set at 3.25 per cent of the total valid votes to win any seat. Seats are allotted by dividing the total valid votes by 120 to fix a quotient, with leftover votes going to surplus-vote agreements. A government takes office only after a confidence vote by at least 61 of the 120 members, and the outgoing government continues in office until the new one is formed.

Election date: 27 October 2026 Knesset dissolved: 17 July 2026 Seats: 120, single house Electoral threshold: 3.25 per cent of total valid votes Confidence needed: At least 61 of 120 members Term under Basic Law: the Knesset: Four years from the day of election

Why it matters for exams: Israel's 120-member Knesset, its 3.25 per cent threshold and the 61-vote confidence rule are standard comparative-polity questions, and the 27 October 2026 poll date makes them current.

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13 October 2026 Source: Library of Congress, Law Library (In Custodia Legis)

In plain words

Knesset Knesset — Israel's single-chamber parliament, with 120 members.

Electoral threshold Electoral threshold — The minimum share of valid votes a party list must win before it can be given any seat.

Surplus-vote agreement Surplus-vote agreement — A pact between two lists to pool their leftover votes when the last seats are shared out.