CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN POLITICAL LIFE: ISRAEL.

The Knesset, Israel's unicameral parliament, has 120 members, elected every four years. In the last elections 19 lists presented 1,312 candidates for these 120 seats, as of February 1, 1960. Israel uses the rigid party list system, and the whole country constitutes one constituency. Therefore, most parties present long lists of candidates, of whom only those at the top of these lists appear to be in so-called safe places, that is to have any likelihood of being elected. A similar situation obtains in elections for local authorities, which are likewise conducted by the rigid party list system, in which each local authority is considered as one constituency. Under these circumstances the total number of candidates at any election cannot provide any indication of the amount of competition for the formal decision-making positions. At best these lists of candidates indicate the number of presentable candidates each party can offer at elections, so that it has become a question of honor to present as many candidates as there are mandates available, or even more.