It is with an overwhelming sense of responsibility that we, members of the joint non-partisan organizations, address a subject of the utmost importance: the need to change the electoral and governmental systems in Israel. We aspire to address these issues in accordance with a number of agreed upon principles – Israel’s Hope (Yesh SIkuy), The Israel Democracy Institute and The Citizens’ Empowerment Center in Israel (CECI).
Elements of the proposed bill:
Electoral Reform
- Increasing the electoral threshold to 4% in order to reduce the number of political parties in the parliament.
- Fusing the electoral system to regional & nationwide (a single ballot to be counted twice).
- The Prime Minister will be the head of the largest party
Governmental Reform
- The Prime Minister’s term will be limited to four year, his/her impeachment will only occur given both:
- A majority of 61 votes by members of Parliament
- The existence of a viable alternative government
- The number of ministers would be limited to a maximum of 16
- Members of the Parliament appointed to serve as Ministers would not be allowed to serve in both positions simultaneously, and therefore would be forced to resign from the Parliament.
