Knesset Race Begins as New Parties Battle over Ballot Paper Letters
As Knesset registration opens, Israeli parties launch a quiet battle over ballot letters. Established factions hold priority rights, leaving new lists racing to claim the best remaining symbols.
The Battle for Ballot Letters Begins
An election campaign is always a major clash between political parties over ideology, voters, new candidates, and alliances. However, alongside this public arena, a silent struggle is taking place—the battle over the letters that will appear on the voting slips.
For the parties, this is far from a technicality. The letter or combination of letters is one of their most prominent identifiers on election day. The letters "Machal" (Mhl) have been identified with Likud for decades, "Shas" (Shs) requires no explanation, and the same goes for "Gimel" (G) of United Torah Judaism and "Lamed" (L) of Yisrael Beytenu. In this election cycle, several new parties and lists have entered the race, and all must find their place within the crowded political alphabet.
Rules of the Game and Veteran Advantage
The rules grant a clear advantage to established parties. According to the election law and Central Elections Committee (CEC) procedures, any faction represented in the outgoing Knesset has priority over the letters it used in the previous election. Any other list wishing to use a "taken" letter must obtain written consent from that faction's authorized representative.
For the elections to the 26th Knesset, the rules have been expanded to allow lists to use up to three letters instead of just one or two, anticipating a high volume of competing lists.
According to a CEC document, existing rights leave a relatively small pool of available letters. Among the reserved symbols are:
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"EMET" (Amt) — expected to be used by the Democrats;
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"Gimel" (G) — United Torah Judaism;
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"Pe" (Ph) — Yesh Atid;
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"Machal" (Mhl) — Likud;
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"Shas" (Shs) — Shas;
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"Tet" (T) — Religious Zionism;
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"Lamed" (L) — Yisrael Beytenu.
In the case of Yesh Atid, which is running this time under the "Biyachad" list led by Naftali Bennett, the intention is to register under new letters rather than using "Pe". The combination historically associated with Meretz no longer enjoys priority rights since the party failed to enter the Knesset in the last elections. Conversely, "EMET", formerly associated with the Labor Party, remains secured under the rights transferred to the Democrats.
Available Letters and Strategic Secrecy
According to the CEC document, the letters currently available are Bet (B), Dalet (D), Zayin (Z), Yod (I), Nun (N), Tsadi (Ts), Kof (K), and the final letters Chaf (K), Pe (P), and Tsadi (Ts). While this seems like a decent selection, some letters are far more marketable than others for campaign slogans.
New parties, including Gadi Eisenkot's "Yashar!", Ofer Winter's "Imach Yisrael", and Naftali Bennett's "Biyachad", will have to select their letters. Otzma Yehudit and Noam, which ran under the Religious Zionism "Tet" ticket in the last election, must also secure their own symbols this time.
Several new parties declined to disclose to ynet which letters they are targeting, fearing that rivals might pre-empt them or block their usage. In a system where multiple new lists are searching for short, catchy symbols, a single letter becomes a valuable political asset.
The Race at the Knesset Gates
This race will manifest physically at the Knesset gates today. During the pre-registration phase, party representatives who arrive early to secure a place in line will receive a serial number. This order will dictate the sequence of list submissions. In cases where no faction holds priority over a specific letter, the order of arrival can be decisive.
The CEC principle is clear: subject to the rights of existing factions, the list that submits its registration first gets priority in choosing from the available letters.
Pre-registration opens today at 17:00. Tomorrow at 13:00, the official submission window opens, running until 17:00. Tuesday will be the final day for submissions, with candidates allowed to submit lists between 16:00 and 22:00. The CEC stated that Chairman Noam Sohlberg may extend the deadline until midnight, the absolute cutoff.
