A record 35 women could be elected to the Knesset — Jerusalem Post

In Israel, up to 35 women could be elected to the next Knesset, which would be a record figure. According to an analysis by the 5050 initiative, which promotes gender equality in government, the most likely forecast is about 33 female lawmakers, The Jerusalem Post reports.

The current Knesset has 31 women and 89 men. The 5050 forecast is based on a combination of several polls as of October 16. Under the lowest estimate, the number of women in parliament will remain at the current level of 31.

Possible coalition composition

If the current coalition forms the next government, the potential coalition will have only seven women among its 56 lawmakers. This is fewer than the nine female lawmakers representing coalition forces in the current Knesset. If the opposition bloc is able to form a government, its potential coalition will have 24 women.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Representation in parties

According to 5050, the largest gender imbalance is observed in the Likud party. Of the 22 lawmakers projected to win seats on its list, three could be women. In 2020, 10 of Likud's 36 lawmakers were women, while in the current Knesset the party has seven female lawmakers among 32 parliamentarians.

No women are projected to be elected from the Shas and United Torah Judaism parties. In the Religious Zionism party, one woman is expected among six lawmakers, while Otzma Yehudit and Yisrael Beiteinu could each have two female lawmakers out of eight. According to the forecast, Yashar and Beyahad will have the largest share of women: women could win 11 and six seats respectively, or half of each party's representation.

5050 founder Yael Yechieli stressed that the final number of women in parliament will be determined by voters, not opinion polls.