Jeremy's Knesset Insider

MK Zahava Gal-On received 506 votes of the 950 eligable Meretz central committee members and became the third current female leader of a Knesset party, behind Kadima’s Tzippi Livni and Labor’s Shelly Yachimovich. MK Ilan Gilon finished second with 306 votes, and party activist Uri Ophir came in third with 23 votes. 115 central committee members didn’t vote.

The internet-based poll was conducted on Thursday, Feburary 2, 2012, and broadcast that evening. According to the poll, if elections were held today the nationalist camp would maintain the 65 seats they currently hold. The poll is the first conducted since Prime Minister Netanyahu defeated Moshe Feiglin in the Likud leadership race. The Likud’s 31 seats are more than double second placed Yisrael Beitenu and Labor. National Union seems to gain from Feiglin’s loss, and Meretz seems to gain from the buzz of their leadership race, while Shas seems to lose from additional negative press directed at Yishai, and Jewish Home, barely passes the threshold.

If elections were held today who would you vote for?
Current Knesset seats in [brackets]

31 [27] Likud
15 [15] Yisrael Beitenu
15 [08] Labor
14 [28] Kadima
11 [—] Yair Lapid Party
06 [04] National Union
06 [11] Shas
06 [03] Meretz
05 [05] Yahadut Hatorah/UTJ
03 [03] Balad
03 [04] Hadash
03 [04] Ra’am-Ta’al
02 [03] Jewish Home
00 [05] Independence

Final results of Likud leadership primaries:

50.4% turnout (63,150)

Netanyahu 77% (48,490 votes)

Feiglin 23% (14,660)

The latest poll gives the nationalist camp 68 seats, a gain of three. Prime Minster Netanyahu’s Likud’s 30 seats are double second place Labor’s 15. Kadima receives the same number of seats whether Livni or Mofaz leads the party. Lapid earns 11 seats, although it is still unclear who will be on his list. According to the poll there seems to be three tiers- Likud at the top, five parties with 10-15 seats and seven parties with 3-6 seats.

The Smith Institute Poll was published by newspaper Globes on January 27, 2012. The sample was of 500 people, and the margin of error stood at 4.5%.

If elections were held today who would you vote for?
Current Knesset seats in [brackets]

30 [27] Likud
15 [08] Labor
14 [15] Yisrael Beitenu
13 [28] Kadima- Livni or Mofaz
11 [—] Yair Lapid Party
10 [11] Shas
06 [05] Yahadut Hatorah/UTJ
05 [04] National Union
04 [04] Hadash
03 [03] Jewish Home
03 [03] Meretz
03 [04] Ra’am-Ta’al
03 [03] Balad
00 [05] Independence