Israel General Election Thread: March 17 2015

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Given margin of error issues there's something like a five-way tie for second place at present. Hilarious.

As for Meretz, don't forget that a few years ago they would have been delighted to be polling around about where they are now...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

So effectively a return to one of Labor's traditional electoral tactics?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The polls look unusually stable, except for certain scandal-magnet parties.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Yes, there really is nothing quite like a big glass of schadenfreude sometimes.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

And also, can someone elaborate a bit on Kulanu ? From what I quickly read on the wiki, seems like a moderate hero party if there ever was one.

Israeli politics has a long tradition of personalist populist parties of a vaguely middle-of-the-road bent and with policies that look suspiciously like a list of platitudes; Kulanu is but the latest example.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

YB doesn't really stand for much beyond MOAR MONIES for Russians and (of course) whatever incoherent nonsense Lieberman chooses to rant about on any particular week.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

So Kadima is effectively a Druze vote bank now? Remarkable.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Sure; that's why I wrote 'vote bank' rather than 'party'

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Interestingly enough it looks like leakage from Jewish Home; connected to recent tehdrama, or just the usual ups and downs of polling in a country where that will never be easy?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Let's try to keep this thread as calm and reasonable as possible. If this means not commenting on certain matters, then do not comment on those matters. Thanks.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

But anyway. Stable-ish polls? This can't be a real Israeli election.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Bibi mostly wants to be Prime Minister For Life.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

We'll only know who's willing to deal with whoever when it actually happens. It's Israel, you know, not Denmark.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

lol

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Never forget that some people are just congenitally stupid and that they often end up in politics for whatever reason.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Though before even the exit polls are out you generally have a few hours of increasingly solid-sounding rumours. Israelis are a sufficiently gossipy bunch that these are generally not inaccurate, at least in general terms.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

True enough. Should add to the entertainment value though.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Turnout in Arab villages reported to be higher than usual.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Via Haaretz...

Shas have been banned from distributing the following leaflet:



The leaflet suggests that if you vote Shas you'll go to heaven. A message brought to you by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (pictured) who is dead.

lmaoshas

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Yes: in Britain (for instance) there is always a rush after five o clock.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Turnout now slightly up on last time. A BBC reporter at Likud HQ says that there are rumours of a close race, but that he has no idea what the sources for this are.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Number-based rumours starting to circulate: suggestions of squeeze in favour of the big parties.

No idea of accuracy.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Supposedly one is: Labor 27, Likud 26, Joint List 15, Kulanu 12, YA 11, JH 8, Shas 7, YB 4-5, Meretz 4, Yachad out.

UTJ not mentioned??? Presumably their usual figure then.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Much drama.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Regulars will know this anyway, but this would be the best Labor result since the 1990s (slightly better than 1999 actually) and a Likud result on par with 2009.