Middle East Monitor / February 7, 2020
A new poll of Israeli voters suggests that the public’s preferred result for the forthcoming election is a national unity government of Likud and Blue and White.
According to the poll, conducted on behalf of the Jerusalem Post and Maariv, asked what government they preferred be formed after the election, 42 per cent backed a unity government.
Within that total, 26 per cent chose a coalition of just Likud and Blue and White (Kahol Lavan), while 16 per cent picked a unity government of Likud, Blue and White and Yisrael Beiteinu.
Meanwhile, the poll found that a coalition of right-wing and religious parties was preferred by 23 per cent of respondents, while 19 per cent chose a government of Blue and White with Labour-Gesher-Meretz reliant on external support by the Joint List.
When broken down by parties, Likud voters were “divided between those who preferred a unity government with Blue and White and those who preferred a coalition with right-wing and religious parties”.
Among Blue and White voters, meanwhile, 62 per cent preferred a unity government, and 27 per cent chose a coalition backed by the Joint List.
Shas and Yamina voters unsurprisingly preferred a right-wing coalition, while Yisrael Beiteinu voters preferred a unity government that would include their party.
Overall, the latest poll found that Likud would win 33 seats, three less than Blue and White’s 36. The Joint List would win 13 seats, with eight each for Labour-Gesher-Meretz, United Torah Judaism and Yamina, along with seven each for Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu.
Far-right party Otzma Yehudit gets 2.8 per cent of the vote, under the threshold to enter the Knesset.
