Israeli Knesset election statistics

Although the official results won’t be announced by the Knesset until January 30th, some of the election results for the 19th Knesset already in, present some interesting developments and statistics.

Current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was called upon by President Shimon Peres to attempt to form the next government, since his party, Likud Beytenu, garnered the most seats—31. As the jockeying and bargaining for positions continues, it is as yet unclear which parties will be brought together to make up a majority to form the next government.

The final tally, according to the Times of Israel, after the count of the ballots of the soldiers, prisoners, hospital patients and diplomats abroad is:

Likud Beytenu 31

Yesh Atid 19

Labor 15

Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) 12

Shas 11

United Torah Judaism 7

Hatnua 6

Meretz 6

Hadash 4

Ra’am-Ta’al (United Arab List) 4

Balad 3

Kadima 2

Kadima, currently the smallest party, just made it into the Knesset with 2.09% of the vote, garnering two seats, down from the 28 seats they had when they were the largest faction in the 18th Knesset. Bayit Yehudi, Naftali Bennett’s party, Jewish Home, skyrocketed from three seats in the last Knesset to 12. Fifty new MKs will sit in the 19th Knesset, including Yesh Atid’s entire list, Yair Lapid’s party.

Twenty-seven women, six more than in the last Knesset, will be there as well. Eleven women sat in the first Knesset; the 1988 Knesset had seven, the lowest number since the establishment of the State. Three parties are headed by women: Labor, Tzippi Livni’s Hatnua and Meretz.

One third, or 39 members, of the Knesset is now dati-Orthodox, either religious Zionist or Haredi. Here is the breakdown: Bayit Yehudi—11, Shas—11, United Torah Judaism—7, Likud Beytenu—6, Yesh Atid—3, and Hatnua—1. Thirty MKs are of Sephardic descent.

Other notable MKs include two from Ethiopia in Yesh Atid, Shimon Solomon who made Aliya on foot in 1980 with his parents and siblings, and Pnina Tamano-Shata, the first Ethiopian woman in the Knesset.

Another Yesh Atid MK is a former Israeli Judo Team captain, Yoel Razvozov, who won two silver medals in the European championships and was in the Athens Olympics in 2004. The youngest MK is 27 years old, and another MK is a mom with eleven children.

Other MKs of note include Yair Shamir, son of former prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir, a former Air Force colonel and former chairman of Israel Aerospace Industries; and Moshe Feiglin, founder of Zo Artzeinu and head of the Jewish Leadership faction in Likud.

There are mayors of Israeli cities, retired major-generals, rabbis, journalists, professors, lawyers, Ivy League graduates, retired police officers, and two Americans: Naftali Bennet and Dov Lipman.