| Current System |
Question |
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Direct Representation |
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You vote for a party in a national election |
How do you vote? |
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You vote for an individual candidate in the region where you live |
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A person becomes a member of Knesset if his party gets enough votes in the national election so that his number on the party list is reached. |
How is a Member of Knesset chosen? |
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A person becomes a member of Knesset if he wins the majority of votes in the region where he lives. |
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An MK serves the interests of his party. If his party's central committee disapproves of his performance, he will not have a place on the party list of the next election. MKs are collectively responsible to their party's constituents. Individual responsibility to citizens has no political relevance for a Knesset Member. |
To whom is a Member of Knesset responsible? |
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An MK serves the interests of the citizens in his region. If the voters where he lives disapprove of his performance, they will not vote for him in the next election. Each MK is individually responsible to all the citizens in his region. Individual responsibility to the citizens is the cornerstone of the political system. |
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A citizen has no individual MK who represents him in the legislature. |
Who is your representative in the Knesset? |
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Every citizen has an MK who represents all the citizens in his region. |
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Every party that gains enough votes in the national election has a representative to promote the interests of that party. Narrow interest parties can exercise disproportionate power as legislative swing votes on issues irrelevant to their interests - or they can simply ignore issues of national importance. |
How is a party represented in the Knesset? |
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If a party does not have a candidate that wins a regional election, it has no representative in the Knesset. Candidates can run as independents, without the support of any party, as long as they collect enough signatures to be posted on the ballot. This favors individual candidates that address a wide variety of interests and issues in their regions. |
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Some regions of the country do not have a single representative. Knesset members are usually the socioeconomic elite of their parties and usually come from the major cities. |
How are regions represented in the Knesset? |
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Every region of the country has a representative. |
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The candidates at the top of a large party's list are guaranteed a seat in the Knesset. |
What about party favoritism? |
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Every party candidate, no matter how prominent in the party, has to earn his place in the Knesset by winning the election in the region where he lives. Nobody is guaranteed a Knesset seat. |
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Parties receive votes on a national scale. The party that wins the most votes gets the first chance to form a coalition government. Narrow interests, courted as swing votes to form coalitions, effectively sell their votes in return for political favors. |
How are national interests served? |
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Citizens elect Knesset Members in their regions with the knowledge that the winning candidate will vote on issues of national scope. MKs carry the dual responsibility of serving their region's interests and those of the nation as a whole. |
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"National Unity" is an expression that explains how political parties agree to divide up the nation's government resources. The spirit of national unity is crushed by the tyranny of narrow interest parties that cater to small, politically separatist groups. |
What about National Unity? |
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"National Unity" is achieved when the prime minister wins a direct election and chooses his ministers from professionals who are not Knesset Members, but must pass Knesset confirmation. Real national unity can take root in a system where Knesset members must think of themselves as public servants and role models for all citizens. |
