Likud and Religious Zionist Party sign surplus-vote deal ahead of 27 October election
Likud announced on 6 October a surplus-vote agreement with Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party (running with Zehut) before the 27 October Israeli election. Otzma Yehudit said Likud had refused it a similar deal.
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The story, neutrally told
Right · 2Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud announced on Tuesday 6 October that it had signed a surplus-vote-sharing agreement with the Religious Zionist Party, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, ahead of the 27 October elections. The Jerusalem PostRC “Likud party announced Tuesday that it had signed a surplus-vote-sharing agreement with the Religious Zionist Party” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ JNSR “The Likud Party signed a vote-sharing agreement on Tuesday with the Religious Zionism-Zehut joint list” Read at JNS ↗ Right · 1Under such a deal, the two parties pool surplus votes after the initial allocation of Knesset seats; if the combined surplus is enough for an extra seat, one party can receive it, potentially strengthening their bloc. The Jerusalem PostRC “If the combined surplus is enough to secure an additional seat, one party can receive it” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1The Jerusalem Post said the deal matters only if both parties pass the electoral threshold, and that the Religious Zionist Party has recently polled just above it, at around five seats. The Jerusalem PostRC “The deal is only relevant if both parties pass the electoral threshold.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Right · 1JNS described the partner as the Religious Zionism-Zehut joint list; Smotrich's party and Moshe Feiglin's Zehut signed an agreement on 1 September to run together, after Netanyahu urged smaller right-wing parties to unite. JNSR “Religious-Zionism, headed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Zehut, led by Moshe Feiglin, signed an agreement on Sept. 1 to run as a joint list.” Read at JNS ↗ Right · 1JNS explained that the electoral threshold is 3.25%, that votes for parties below it are lost, and that vote-sharing reduces but does not eliminate wasted votes. JNSR “The system doesn’t completely eliminate vote wastage.” Read at JNS ↗ Right · 1Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, also in Netanyahu's coalition bloc, said Likud refused to sign a surplus-vote agreement with it, accusing Likud of trying to weaken the party and keep Ben-Gvir out of a unity government Likud is planning with Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of Yashar. Likud's response to this is not reported. The Jerusalem PostRC “Likud refused to sign a surplus-vote agreement with Otzma Yehudit as part of its attempt to weaken Otzma Yehudit” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Right · 1In September the opposition bloc's four major parties signed two such deals: Eisenkot's Yashar with Yair Golan's The Democrats, and Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad with Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu. The Jerusalem PostRC “one between Eisenkot's Yashar and Yair Golan's The Democrats, and another between Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad and Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1The Jerusalem Post noted that such systems typically favour larger lists, citing 2020, when a Likud–Yamina agreement won Likud an additional seat. The Jerusalem PostRC “in the 2020 election, Likud and Yamina signed one such agreement and secured an additional seat, which went to Likud.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets treat the deal as a technical, vote-maximising step for the right-wing bloc. The Jerusalem Post adds the Otzma Yehudit complaint; JNS gives an explainer on the threshold and right-wing unity.
- Emphasis
- JPost: bloc strengthening, polling near the threshold, Otzma Yehudit's accusation. JNS: avoiding wasted votes, Netanyahu's call for unity, the Smotrich–Feiglin merger.
- Leaves out or plays down
- JNS omits Otzma Yehudit's accusation and the opposition's September deals. JPost omits the Zehut merger.
- Charged language
- “far-right”
- For example
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“Itamar Ben-Gvir's far-right Otzma Yehudit party, part of Netanyahu's coalition bloc” — The Jerusalem Post
“Netanyahu has been urging smaller right-wing parties to unite.” — JNS
What every side reports
- Likud signed a surplus/vote-sharing agreement on 6 October with Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party.
- The election is on 27 October.
- The agreement aims to reduce wasted votes and help win extra seats.
Where accounts differ
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Likud's treatment of Otzma Yehudit
- Right
- The Jerusalem Post relays Otzma Yehudit's accusation that Likud refused it a deal to weaken it and keep Ben-Gvir out of a planned unity government with Eisenkot; JNS does not mention this.
Likud party
Announced the signed agreement with the Religious Zionist Party; accused by Otzma Yehudit of refusing it a deal.
“announced Tuesday that it had signed a surplus-vote-sharing agreement” — The Jerusalem Post
Bezalel Smotrich person
Leads the Religious Zionist Party; said earlier it was time to unite forces so no right-wing vote is wasted.
“not to allow any vote on the right to go to waste” — JNS
Religious Zionist Party party
Signed the deal with Likud; runs on a joint list with Zehut and has polled just above the threshold.
“The Religious Zionist Party has recently been polling just above the threshold, at around five seats.” — The Jerusalem Post
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right2 articles
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Netanyahu's Likud, Smotrich's RZP sign surplus-vote agreement ahead of elections
Neutral News report on the deal with context on Otzma Yehudit's accusation and the opposition's deals.
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JNSR ·
Likud inks vote-sharing deal with Religious Zionism-Zehut list
Neutral Explainer on vote-sharing and the right's unity efforts.
- 6 Oct 12:06 First The Jerusalem PostRC Netanyahu's Likud, Smotrich's RZP sign surplus-vote agreement ahead of elections
- 7 Oct 06:30 +18h 25m JNSR Likud inks vote-sharing deal with Religious Zionism-Zehut list
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.