m; election last held 31 July 2000
(next to be held mid-2007); following legislative elections, the
president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the
largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition; election
last held 28 January 2003 (next schedulde to be held fall of 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON (since 7 March 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the
Knesset
election results: Moshe KATZAV elected president by the 120-member
Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES,
received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON
continues as prime minister after Likud Party victory in January
2003 Knesset elections; Likud won 38 seats and then formed coalition
government with Shinui, the National Religious Party, and the
National Union

Legislative branch:
unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 January 2003 (next scheduled to be held fall
of 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Likud Party 29.4%,
Labor 14.5%, Shinui 12.3%, Shas 8.2%, National Union 5.5%, Meretz
5.2%, United Torah Judaism 4.3%, National Religious Party 4.2%,
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3.0%, One Nation 2.8%,
National Democratic Assembly 2.3%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya (YBA) 2.2%,
United Arab List 2.1%, Green Leaf Party 1.2%, Herut 1.2%, other
1.6%; seats by party - Likud 38, Labor 19, Shinui 15, Shas 11,
National Union 7, Meretz 6, National Religious Party 6, United Torah
Judaism 5, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3, One Nation 3,
National Democratic Assembly 3, YBA 2, United Arab List 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) [Muhammad BARAKA];
Green Leaf Party (no longer active) [Boaz WACHTEL and Shlomi
SANDAK]; Herut (no longer active) [Michael KLEINER]; Labor Party
[Shimon PERES]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; Meretz (merged with
YAHAD) [Zahava GALON]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi
BISHARA]; National Religious Party [Ephraim "Efie" EITAM]; National
Union (Haichud Haleumi) [Avigdor LIBERMAN] (includes Tekuma Moledet
and Yisra'el Beiteinu); One Nation [David TAL]; Shas [Eliyahu
YISHAI]; Shinui [Yosef "Tommy" LAPID]; United Arab