From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Despite graft suspicions, Netanyahu preferred candidate for PM – poll
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleBenjamin Netanyahu remains the preferred candidate for prime minister several days after the announcement Thursday of impending graft indictments against him, pending a hearing.
A Channel 12 news poll finds that 40 percent of respondents say Netanyahu is the candidate they “prefer as prime minister.” His leading opponent, Blue and White chair Benny Gantz, is preferred by 34% of respondents.
The poll also finds that Blue and White beats Likud in the Knesset, winning 36 seats in the 120-seat parliament next to Likud’s 30.
Labor comes third at 9 seats, followed by the Arab alliance of Hadash-Ta’al (8 seats), then Haredi parties United Torah Judaism (7) and Shas (6), then the far-right alliance of Jewish Home, National Union and the extremist Otzma Yehudit (6). The smallest parties, who all skirt the 3.25% electoral threshold, are Kulanu (5), the New Right (5), Meretz (4) and Ra’am-Balad (4).
One party in the current Knesset comes in under the threshold — Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu, at 2.7% of the vote; followed by Gesher party of former Yisrael Beytenu MK Orly Levy-Abekassis at 2.2%; then Zehut at 2% and former Shas chairman Eli Yishai’s Yahad party at 1.5%.
Asked point-blank who they expect to actually form the next government, Netanyahu’s presumed advantage becomes clear: 55% of respondents say they expect Netanyahu, just 23% say Gantz.
The Times of Israel Community.