Israel’s President is elected by the 120 MKs but many polling companies have polled the public’s opinion anyways.
These are the results of the latest Panels Poll:
Reuven Rivlin 35%
Dan Shechtman 30%
Dalia Dorner 9%
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer 5%
Meir Sheetrit 4%
Dalia Itzik 4%
* Nominations:
The largest group was the 49 MKs that didn’t sign for anyone, that included coalition leaders Netanyahu, Lapid, Bennett & Liberman.
Rivlin received 16 signatures: 7 Likud, 5 BY, 2 YA, 1 Shas, 1 UTJ.
Ben-Eliezer’s 13 signatures: All of them from Labor.
Sheetrit’s 11 signatures: Livni 6, 4 YA, 1 Shas.
Itzik’s 11 signatures: 4 Arabs, 2 Meretz, 2 YA, 2 YB, 1 Shas.
Dorner’s 10: 5 YA, 2 Arabs, 2 Meretz, 1 Shas.
Shechtman’s 10: 2 Meretz, 2 YA, 2 BY, Likud 1, Shas 1, Kadima 1, Arabs 1.
KnessetJeremy Take:
* The race in my eyes is who will meet Rivlin in the second round. There have never been six candidates on the ballot before, it is possible that some will drop out. It seem certain that there will be a second round. The new law states that a simple majority of votes will win, previously you needed to go through as many rounds as possible until a candidate won 61 votes.
* I’ll note that most MKs don’t take Shechtman or Dorner seriously, in order to obtain the 10 signatures necessary to make the ballot they had MKs who are supporting other candidates sign their registration forms. If they remain in the race they will receive single digits.
* I think it is too early to determine who will end up going head-to-head with Rivlin. It will be either Ben-Eliezer, Sheetrit or Itzik.
Many people think it will be Ben-Eliezer, but I don’t see anti-Rivlin YB or YA MKs voting for him, he couldn’t even get 1 signature from any other non-Labor opposition MK.
Others think it will be Itzick, but the only way she got on the ballot was with the support of 4 Arab MKs, not exactly the largest Knesset power base.
The key will be the 19 Yesh Atid MKs. In the nomination process they gave their signatures for 5 candidates (Rivlin, Shitrit, Itzick, Schectman, Dorner). No YA MK signed for Fuad. Lapid didn’t sign for anyone.
Jeremy's Knesset Insider 
i am for stanley fisher or warren buffett for president.
world recognized expertise is what israel needs now to help with peace talks and helping the common man not political bosses.
daniel berger
The deadline for the nomination papers is over.
We will have up to 6 candidates.
I really do wonder if a push towards reform or elimination of the office all together will gain steam in the next 7 years. The president is so lavishly paid for such minor duties.
jeremy-you gotta stop putting the heredim with the right. they are mad about the conscription law, and are most likely going to support the left in the next election. and aryeh deri is about as left as meretz. there is no reason to put shas and agudas on the right, when they will no doubt support the left. if they don’t immediately go left, they will at least be kingmakers, deciding who forms the coalition based on who promises to give them what they want.
Randi,
First off polls show that voters who vote for Shas & UTJ are right-wing voters, not left-wing voters, even today.
Second of all most of the Shas & UTJ MKs are right wing, if you had a conversation with them you would know.
Third, indeed Aryeh Deri is more left than a majority of the Knesset, but he does not control his party, it most likely will split before next elections.
Lastly, the threat of upsetting the status quo with anti-religious legislation by the left (Meretz, Labor, Livni, Lapid) is the very reason why the Haredim will not be kingmakers and will choose the right over the left.
KnessetJeremy