A lower threshold (JPost Oct 23)

One wonders why the dysfunctional Israeli electoral system has existed for so long. Asaf Heiman points out that tinkering with the threshold, either by raising or lowering it will not help. It should be noted that nowhere on the planet is there a purely proportional system of representation that has produced a stable functioning democracy. In fact there are many modified proportional systems that have struggled; very few can be considered a complete success. The alternative, the British system, in which election to parliament is based on the constituency system in which representatives are elected from geographic units in which the politician getting the most votes is elected, even if he gets less than 50% of the votes, has many problems. The ‘first past the post’ constituency system is unfair to minorities, which are underrepresented, and strongly favors traditional established parties. However the constituency system does tend to result in stable governments that can normally survive until the next general election. Another advantage is that a member of the public in a constituency may appeal to his representative for redress of some bureaucratic action or lack thereof, which he considers unfair or unreasonable. His representative will then often attempt to help him because it’s in his own interest to keep his constituents happy.

The best system for Israel, which would be relatively fair and would likely result in stability, would be a combination of the two systems. Elect 50% of the MKs on the constituency basis, and the other 50% proportionately. This is simple to understand, and while still fair to minority interests, would tend to minimize fringe parties and thus result in more stable governments. It would also limit the power of minority groups to force the majority to bow to their demands. Unfortunately such a change would be resisted by current MKs who, in one way or other, all benefit personally from the current system. It could only be implemented by popular demand of a populace fed up with the status quo.