Israeli legislative election, 1981

Elections for the 10th Knesset

30 June 1981

Party Leader % Seats ± Likud Menachem Begin 37.1% 48 +5 Alignment Shimon Peres 36.6% 47 +15 Mafdal Yosef Burg 4.9% 6 -6 Agudat Yisrael Avraham Yosef Shapira 3.7% 4 0 Hadash Meir Vilner 3.4% 4 -1 Tehiya Yuval Ne'eman 2.3% 3 New Tami Aharon Abuhatzira 2.3% 3 New Telem Moshe Dayan 1.6% 2 New Shinui Amnon Rubinstein 1.5% 2 Ratz Shulamit Aloni 1.4% 1 0

This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

Prime Minister before Prime Minister after Menachem Begin Likud Menachem Begin Likud

Elections for the tenth Knesset were held in Israel on 30 June 1981. Despite last minute polls suggesting a victory for Shimon Peres's Alignment,^[1] Menachem Begin's Likud won by just one seat, which was awarded due to Likud having just 400 more surplus votes than the Alignment.^[2] Voter turnout was 78.5%.^[3]

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/−
Likud ^1	718,941	37.1	48	+3
Alignment ^1 4	708,536	36.6	47	+15
National Religious Party ^2 5	95,232	4.9	6	−6
Agudat Yisrael	72,312	3.7	4	0
Hadash	64,918	3.4	4	−1
Tehiya	44,700	2.3	3	New
Tami	44,466	2.3	3	New
Telem ^3	30,600	1.6	2	New
Shinui	29,837	1.5	2	New
Ratz ^4	27,921	1.4	1	0
Poalei Agudat Yisrael	17,090	0.9	0	−1
Independent Liberals	11,764	0.6	0	−1
United Arab List	11,590	0.6	0	−1
Development and Peace	10,823	0.6	0	−1
Left Camp of Israel	8,691	0.4	0	−2
Arab Brotherhood List	8,304	0.4	0	New
List for Aliyah	6,992	0.4	0	New
Kach	5,128	0.3	0	0
Independence	4,710	0.2	0	New
One Israel	3,726	0.2	0	New
Arab Citizens' List	2,596	0.1	0	New
Pensioners' List (Led by Miriam Gehatya)	2,404	0.1	0	New
Unity Party	1,293	0.1	0	New
Ya'ad	1,228	0.1	0	New
Otzma	839	0.0	0	New
Tent Movement	545	0.0	0	New
Abolish Income Tax	503	0.0	0	New
Amkha	460	0.0	0	New
Youth Movement	412	0.0	0	New
Council to Rescue the Homeland	405	0.0	0	New
Initiative - Independents Movement	400	0.0	0	New
Invalid/blank votes	17,243	–	–	–
Total	1,937,366	100	120	0
Source: Nohlen et al.

¹ Two MKs defected from Likud to the Alignment.

² Haim Drukman left the National Religious Party and sat as an independent MK.

³ Telem split into Ometz and the Movement for the Renewal of Social Zionism.

⁴ Ratz joined the Alignment but then broke away again.

⁵ Two MKs left the National Religious Party and formed Gesher – Zionist Religious Centre before returning to the NRP two weeks later.

The Tenth Knesset

The nineteenth government was formed by Menachem Begin on 5 August 1981, including Likud, the National Religious Party, Agudat Yisrael, Tami and Telem, and had 17 ministers. Tehiya joined the coalition on 26 August, upping the total to 18 ministers. Likud's Menachem Savidor was appointed Speaker of the Knesset. One of the government's first acts was to pass a bill annexing the Golan Heights. It also oversaw the Lebanon War and the subsequent Sabra and Shatila massacre, which resulted in Defence Minister Ariel Sharon losing his job. The country was also hit by several economic crises, including the collapse of most of the banking sector and hyper-inflation. Meanwhile, the religious parties (NRP and Agudat Israel) managed to pass a law banning state airline El Al from flying on Shabbat.

Yitzhak Shamir formed the twentieth government on 10 October 1983 after Begin had resigned for health reasons. He included the same parties in his coalition, but with 20 ministers. The next elections were held on 23 July 1984.

References

1. Labour leads on eve of Israeli poll The Guardian, 30 June 1981
2. Rightward surplus votes Haaretz, 5 December 2012
3. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, p126 ISBN 0-19-924958-X

External links

• Historical overview of the Tenth Knesset Knesset website
• Factional and Government Make-Up of the Tenth Knesset Knesset website