Israeli Left: Democrats projected to nearly double Knesset seats

Exit polls indicate a major shift in the Israeli left.

The Democrats, the party led by former deputy IDF chief of staff Yair Golan, are projected to secure between nine and ten seats in the 120-member Knesset. This represents a substantial increase from the four seats the party held in the outgoing parliament. The projections are based on final pre-election surveys published by Channel 12, the Kan public broadcaster, Maariv, and The Jerusalem Post. All four outlets reported that Golan’s slate would receive ten seats.

The party campaigned on a platform of fundamental change, focusing on the protection of Israeli democratic institutions. Golan pledged to introduce legislation barring politicians under criminal indictment from serving as prime minister or cabinet ministers. The party also committed to supporting the judiciary and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara against government efforts to weaken their authority. On domestic issues, the Democrats advocated for the separation of religion and state. This included calls for civil marriage and the protection of business rights to operate on the Shabbat. The party also targeted National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his management of rising crime in Arab communities and opposed military draft exemptions for Haredi men.

In foreign policy, Golan rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy of repeated military campaigns. Instead, the party proposed a regional accord that would divide the land to establish a demilitarized Palestinian state. The platform explicitly opposed West Bank annexation and called for a halt to state funding for illegal outposts. The Democrats pledged to remove Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from his civil administration powers in the West Bank, returning control to the IDF.

Coalition dynamics remain a central focus of the upcoming negotiations. Golan ruled out joining a government led by Netanyahu or sitting with Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, or the ultra-Orthodox parties. Unlike other opposition figures, Golan supported forming a coalition with Arab parties such as Ra'am, describing their participation as necessary for Israeli democracy. The Democrats were formed in July 2024 through the merger of the Labor Party and Meretz. The party aimed to consolidate the left after the 2022 election, when divided votes caused Meretz to fall below the 3.25% electoral threshold. Incumbent lawmakers Naama Lazimi, Gilad Kariv, and Efrat Rayten were placed behind Golan on the primary slate.

The final seat distribution will depend on the official vote count and the allocation process. Current figures are preliminary projections from exit polls.