How exceptional is Israel in its election frequency?
Shahar Lotan's article examines the myth that Israel is exceptional in its election frequency. It shows that while Israel ranks low on the OECD parliamentary stability table, it is part of a broader global trend of political fragmentation, with examples from Bulgaria, Spain, and the Netherlands. The upcoming elections on October 27 are the first to be held on schedule since 1988.
Shahar Lotan's article in the 'Mythbusters' section examines the widespread perception that Israel is exceptional in its election frequency. The article notes that the upcoming elections on October 27, 2026, are the first to be held on their original date since 1988, following 13 consecutive Knessets that were dissolved early. Since 1996, Israel has gone to the polls on average every two and a half years, a figure that places it second-to-last among OECD parliamentary democracies, ahead of only Greece. However, the article emphasizes that the entire parliamentary world has entered a spin, with examples from Bulgaria (seven election campaigns between 2021 and 2024), Spain (four times in four years), Portugal, the Netherlands, and the UK. The article explains that the gap between 26 Knessets and 37 governments stems from Basic Law: The Government, which considers the resignation or death of a prime minister as a change of government. The conclusion: Israel indeed ranks low on the parliamentary stability table, but it is an extreme case of a broader Western trend of increasing political fragmentation.